I'm Not Jesus
by Censorship is a Cancer
Summary: What happens when the most obedient lapdog for God is paired with the most rebellious teenager on Earth? Sex scenes/strong language/blood and gore/the works!
1. Chapter I

**CHAPTER I - Slipping Away**

_I close my eyes; only for a moment and the moment's gone. All my dreams pass before my eyes; a curiosity. Dust in the wind. Same old song; just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see. All we are is dust in the wind. _**"Dust in the Wind" by Kansas**

Piercing grey eyes stared almost lifelessly up at the retreating back of the archangel on his mission, but they darted to and fro, signifying that a life, though naught but a swiftly dimming starlight now, still burned within her.

But she couldn't move any part of her body. She hardly had the strength. Pain stung every inch, every nerve and she could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness. She wanted to scream, to cry out for some simple bystander hovering around from sheer dumb luck, but all that seemed to escape was a murmur of whimpers that were hardly capable of forming a proper sentence. And the only thing that met her was the stark beauty of clear and crisp silence, along with the striking realization of her impending death.

She watched the dark figure before her launch himself into the darkness of the night sky, she found herself longing to possess the ability to do the same. She wished to fly.

Oh, if only. To feel the cool temperature of the night on her skin, to veer in all directions with nothing blocking her path. To be... _free_. But she knew, even from what little she had seen of the Heavenly angels who were supposed to be guarding her beloved humanity, that even the gift of wings did not grant freedom. In fact, it only seemed to cage someone more.

_With great power comes great responsibility..._

Her rose petal crimson, chapped lips thinned, cracking and bleeding as she tried to speak again. But all that came out was another, inaudible whisper of a scream. Her cheeks were pale compared to their normal crimson blush and they were bloodied and dirty with streaks of mascara and eyeliner dried upon her porcelain flesh. The matching crimson liquid and mud was splattered upon the rest of her torso and limbs as well, making her hardly look like the clean and confident girl everybody had grown to... well, hate. Her clothing was torn and tattered. She knew she must have lost the majority of her attire from the impact of the fall, for the breeze sweeping around her exposed limbs was not friendly. Or, perhaps this was God telling her that her time had come. Or Lucifer.

She just felt so... cold.

So lost.

So _damned_.

For once, she considered death. She considered rebirth. Disintegrating from the old, loathsome version of herself and become someone _so_ much better... someone with purpose... someone with a path.

For some reason, all thoughts of those whose lives that were sacrificed in this battle were hardly considered upon her thoughts. Her mind could only dwell on one trivial thing: her last entry in her journal before her world turned upside down. So pretentious, so insensitive, she had been and now she just felt so foolish for having put such things above what truly made sense in her life. Her family, her loved ones, they had all been overlooked and brushed aside for menial and useless excuses. Things that certainly weren't going to help her in her journey to... wherever she was going to be sent.

_Oh, I don't wanna talk to grandma. She always goes on too long on the phone, talking about her damn fuschia plants._

_I don't want to see my cousins, they're annoying. I can always just see them on their birthdays and on Christmas, right?_

_Mom, go away, I'm on the phone with this guy and I have a huge crush on him._

_We can talk another time. _

_We can have family time another night._

There was always tomorrow. But now... now, there was nothing. No more birthdays, no Christmases or Thanksgivings... just her against the elements, which she was sure she couldn't possibly survive in her current condition.

She remembered, during their trip, when her mother had revoked her cell phone privileges, telling her that time with the family was more important. What had all seemed... almost deathly humorous was the fact that for a ventricle of a second she had thought: _what's the point? I'm going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life anyway_. And with that inward statement came her trivial complaints in her journal, expressing her greed and anger in not getting her way. Her hair-trigger temper had once again paralyzed her ability to see through her mother's 'cruel' sentence. The woman merely wished to spend some quality time with her daughter. That was all. It was certainly a first, now that she thought about it.

She had thought that being grounded from her phone had been Hell. But no... this... _this_ was Hell.

Her family was gone. She was broken and shattered in the middle of a highway, unable to move and surprised she had the painstaking strength to blink let alone breathe; she had seen horrors she never thought could exist in this world and she had seen people she trusted adopt the worst trait of humanity - cowardice. She had seen her own mother betray an innocent child's purpose and attempt to sacrifice her baby to the masses. All because she wanted the easy way out. She had been told that the very apocalyptic dilemma she found herself in with her family was her own doing... all because her mother never wanted to leave... all because she was so damn rebellious.

Michael had killed her mother. The girl still couldn't blame him. Her mother was going to slaughter an innocent life for what? The easy way out? Her father had died in an explosion of puss, blood and guts. Jeep's father's status was unknown, but with Gabriel's arrival at the cliffs, she couldn't help but assume he was dead just as well. Percy had died trying to rescue her father. Those who she'd considered friends, family and lovers had probably all perished along with the world and she was so painfully alone.

Yep. This was definitely Hell.

And what was worse: she could _feel_ herself slipping away. Into what, she wasn't quite sure. But the girl was almost positive that whatever happiness she had in this life was far from continuing on in the next. This was more than likely what provoked her sheer fright in what awaited her. Eternal damnation? How was somebody supposed to handle that? Especially when one grew up in a world so full of sin such as this.

It almost seemed inevitable.

It still scared her. She didn't want to die. Eighteen years old and she hadn't _lived_. She hadn't seen the best parts of the world, never got to write a book, never got to follow her career goals and her dreams that she was so adamant on accomplishing. And yet she had wasted so much time, so much of her precious life wallowing in the opinions of others and their high-to-no-end social statuses that she had never kept in mind what was most important in her human life.

So much time lost from her own doing. So many moments ruined from her attitude and general brattiness. She hadn't realized until now just how much of her life she had been throwing away.

For what?

Even _she_ couldn't answer that question.

She closed her eyes. A tear slid along her cheek as she took in the cool desert breeze. Once she reopened those piercing gray hues, she admired the millions of white shining specks that were dotted along the skyline, heavily blanketing the darkness in an almost Heavenly glow.

Horror-and-grief stricken or not, this was a perfect night to die.

A trail of stars were randomly blocked out by a large object that only seemed to be coming closer. Through the blurred vision behind her tears, she had thought she saw the formation of wings. Large wings. They were rising and gliding downward upon the air current with purpose and grace, hardly skipping a beat as the object flocked towards their destination. Her.

Again, she wished to _fly_.

Perhaps it was Michael coming to rescue her? What if another archangel sought the purpose of her life? Maybe she had more to live for and hardly knew it yet?

Or... what if it was Gabriel, coming back to finish what he started with her? What if he was returning to end her as he had meant to do with the child?

Her heart plummeted as the thought struck her hard.

Was the child dead?

"No..." The whisper fled her lips, though it was swept away by the wind and more than likely unheard. Another tear fell.

It couldn't end like this. There had to be a happy ending somewhere for her and the people she loved. For Charlie and Jeep. She couldn't have sacrificed everything for nothing.

The formless shape swept closer, eventually landing noiselessly at her side. Blinded by her own tears, she couldn't even make out who it was standing over her. All she knew was that this would either be a new life or a quick death.

Either one, she was positive she wasn't ready for.

But she was growing weaker by the second. She could feel herself slipping into the darkness, even while fighting so hard to keep herself awake... alive.

For what purpose? To what end?

The figure knelt next to her. She could hardly make out their shadow. She felt painful pressure upon her chest. She could hardly breathe. It hurt so much. She felt inches from her own demise.

She only wished she had more time.

Didn't everyone?

And then, a flash of light sparked cerulean before her eyes; blinding her instantly.

But all she saw before she allowed the darkness to consume her were a pair of inescapable blue eyes meeting her own.

For a ventricle of a second in time, the stormy skies clashed hard with the unrelenting oceanic hues and time halted in its tracks. Those steely orbs etched themselves into her mind, emblazoned a new fire of life within her soul that she had never felt before. Before she could even attempt forming a word, she clamped her mouth shut so she could save whatever strength she had left.

Much to her chagrin, exhaustion was consuming her swifter than she hoped.

In that moment of soul-searching eye-contact, Audrey Anderson had made peace with her swift-winged death.


	2. Chapter II

**CHAPTER II - Forsaken.**

_He comes.  
>Judge so severe.<br>__Seven trumpets speak him near.  
>He comes.<br>Judge so severe.  
>Seven trumpets speak the sound of fear.<br>Hallelujah..._

**"The Northern" by Alexisonfire**

For a moment, the archangel stood above her, a permanent sneer plastered on his features. He raised his mace, then gently jut it outward to poke the potential corpse curiously. A ragged hiss reached his hopeful ears and he exhaled a frustrated sigh of defeat.

Still breathing. Still living.

Her eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly... as though she were trying to see him. But the tears streaming along her blood, dirt and mascara-stained cheeks only seemed to blur her vision. Her mouth was weakly moving and Gabriel had thought he heard a hint of "no" flee her pouted lips. So perhaps she recognized him? Good. He needed no confusion following with odd humane sentiments if she thought it was Michael.

He lunged to kneel beside her, hovering his hands over her mouth to be sure her breath was properly flowing into and out of her damaged lungs. He could smell the cigarettes on her. She probably hadn't had one in days, but the scent still lingered in his heightened senses. Perhaps he would have to heal more than just her major wounds. He would not have her dying of a cancer or a tumor on his watch. If she was as valuable as his brother said she was, Gabriel would not release her from his sight until he obtained the answers he needed to win God's good favor once again. She was merely an obstacle to overcome. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Once her eyes shuttered to a close, he knew she was in his power.

Gabriel's bright blue eyes narrowed upon the girl, his hand pressed upon her chest. He could feel her heart hammering so hard against the marrow bars of her ribcage that he was sure it would burst from her chest, find home upon his calloused palm and pray he be gentle. He continued emitting his calming aura, hoping to ease her thrumming heart so he could better heal her. Once he had her in the dreaming state, granting her naught but the sweetest of visions, he began his process.

He lifted his palms slightly, allowing them to hover just over her chest until he began an even sweep of her whole body. Soon, those icy oceanic hues were corseted shut and he allowed himself to slip into his memories, mutely hoping that they would help him will her into movement and regeneration once again. But for now, all it seemed to do was cause that one recollection to resurface, putting him at the utmost uneasiness.

**xxx**

_"What of our Father's verdict?" Gabriel's tone was stern, though his eyes wavered in sheer worry. Michael's solemn gaze did not better his mood either. He narrowed his stare, mutely urging his brother's response. "Michael." He said more sternly. The Commander almost jumped from the demanding nature of his tone. Gabriel had always been that way, but this... he acted as though this would be the last time he would lay eyes on his beloved family._

_"The declaration for your exile has been passed. Father has banished you from the Heavens." He said, his tone regretful as he refused to look his brother in the eyes. He could almost hear Gabriel's heart shattering inside his chest. Meeting the man's broken-souled gaze was more than Michael could handle. "I am so sorry, brother."_

_Gabriel clenched his jaw, flexing it. He refused to express his sadness. He was a warrior for his Father still, even if his banishment was to ensue because of his obedience. "Very well."_

_"Gabriel..." Michael grabbed his arm before he could turn away from his caring nature and retreat into his shell. "I pray you, brother. Fight this. You have been wrongfully sentenced and you know it."_

_The Messenger didn't even blink before responding. "The sentence has been passed. I failed him. As such, my punishment is just in His eyes. I shall take it in stride."_

_Michael frowned further. "Yes. But is your punishment just in your own?"_

_Gabriel stalled, unsure of how to respond. Michael bowed his head, knowing that Gabriel's loyalty to His word far outweighed the value of his own. The Messenger merely turned from him. "Where am I to be exiled?" Michael sighed heavily, releasing his grip on his family and accepting his choice to follow his instruction._

_"Earth." Michael replied curtly, cutting off his emotions for the moment. He knew Gabriel would not want his regret to be shown, no matter the circumstances._

_Gabriel nodded for his brother to lead the way._

**xxx**

Gabriel refused to allow depression to take his concentration. No matter how his heart ached from his Father's love being severed from him. Though he loathed Michael with every ventricle of his heart for being welcomed back into the light, he did not need to second-guess his determination to redeem his status in the Lord's eyes. Michael had lead him to this creature of the Lord.

He would not fail Him again. That was a promise. Whatever this new journey would become in the chapter of his creation, he would not defy Him again.

"Forgive me, Father." He murmured as he watched the large wound upon the girl's leg close. The bones snapped back into place and the one limb was good as new beneath all the blood and grime. His hands trembled in pain and he shook them, warding off his exhaustion from his trials as he focused on healing the rest of her slim body.

Such a frail, sinful creature that he was thoroughly disgusted by. He could almost smell her sins. Her vanity, her pride, her wrath and lust. It was as though all of her emotional and physical layers mirrored the seven deadly sins flawlessly. She had betrayed so many, especially herself. Though her life goals were pure, her ways of achieving them were far from good. She, along with so many others, had allowed her temptations to get the better of her. The way she dressed, the way she had been so willing to do anything in order to gain favor of those in higher social standings at her schools, the countless fights she'd gotten herself into and the way she always defied her parents' rule so she could further whatever negative attention she got from them, if any at all. She believed that she would rather have their loving wrath than nothing at all.

And how foolish was she to so selflessly turn the tables in the darkest of times and risk her life for a child unworthy of self-sacrifice? Audrey had thrust herself upon him when he was _so_ close to accomplishing the goal his Father had sent him to achieve. She had tried to kill him and very well would have died, had Michael not pushed Gabriel to spare her for... whatever reason. As far as the Messenger was concerned, she deserved no mercy and no justice. She was just as much a thorn in the Father's side as the rest of humanity.

Just as much unworthy of His love as every other human on this planet.

Yet she had shown true bravery, though it may have been for the wrong reasons. A young girl, once so selfish and ungrateful for the life she'd been given, had replaced everything she once was in the darkest hour and braved her inevitable fate with grim determination and inner, spiritual strength.

Unlike her weakling of a mother, who was so quick to seek the easy way out and was defaced by Michael's acutely aimed bullet.

Gabriel hardly felt sympathy for either, if any at all.

**xxx**

_"Brother." Gabriel called out to him as he had turned his back to return to the Light. When Michael faced him again, the Messenger's eyes cast to the ground, unable to show his hurt. "I... know not where to go from here." He confessed. Unwillingly, a tear slid from his eye and he turned away. He was a warrior for God no longer, but his emotions would not get the better of him. No matter how lost he felt._

_Sighing, Michael settled a comforting hand upon Gabriel's shoulder. Oddly, he did not shake his touch. He needed it. "You recall the events of this night. The girl who had tried to stop you." His words bought Gabriel's attention and he turned to face his brother, who dropped his hand from his shoulder and let it find home on the handle of his sword._

_"Yes. Foolish girl." Gabriel seethed through grit teeth, using his prejudice to shut out his oncoming breakdown._

_"Her name is Audrey." Michael said, as though in defense._

_"Her name holds no meaning to my heart, brother. She should have known I could not be stopped by her feeble attempts. She was killed as a result of her idiocy." Gabriel said matter-of-factly. Michael merely shook his head._

_"No, brother. She lives." Gabriel's head cocked to the side in slight confusion. "You'll find her where you left her. Her heart still beats, I can hear it in my head." Another pause, noting that Gabriel knew not what Michael was insinuating. "Help her."_

_"Help her. A human." _

_Michael nodded. Gabriel shook his head in defiance, stiffening his spine as though it would prove he would not break or bend on the subject._

_"I'll never aid a creature so vile." The Messenger retorted, hitting the ball of his mace into the sand to finalize his statement. Almost like a child refusing to accept that they could not have an ice cream cone. Michael's eyes narrowed. _

_"You would be astonished how much a single one of these creatures can surprise you." Gabriel's eyes faltered and glazed over for a moment. As though he were sifting through memories to try and find an episode where he found himself saying the very same thing. Perhaps he even found one. Michael didn't have a chance to find out._

_"Why are you suggesting this, Michael? I am not you. I do not love them as you do." Michael flinched._

_"You do not love them at all. That is why I suggest this." Gabriel's gaze faltered yet again._

_The taller of the two clenched his fists and stiffened his broad shoulders once he found his former statement in his mind, regaining his comfort in his own narrow-mindedness. Saving a human. What an outlandish notion, he mused as his jaw clenched._

_The shorter male's wings fluttered in irritation. His brother's stubbornness was so unrelenting. Even in exile! The nerve!_

_"No, Michael. She shall die as she must. Reversing her fate will not save her from damnation."_

_"Even though you tried?"_

_Gabriel's eyes narrowed. Michael bowed his head, hardly wanting to continue this battle. "I did not attempt such a thing."_

_"You tucked your wings around her when you were forced through the windshield of the vehicle. No lies, Gabriel. It is unbecoming." His brother scowled and averted his eyes. It was Michael's turn to hold momentary triumph._

_"Nonsense. I was protecting myself." Gabriel excused lamely._

_"Nonetheless. The girl holds all the answers you need in this journey and I refuse to war with words on her behalf. If you do not believe me, let her die. But she is running out of time, so make your choice quickly." He turned his back once more. This time, no word from Gabriel's speechless mouth would stop him. He craned his head to look into his brother's eyes one last time. "But should you let her perish... you may just lose your last chance to redeem yourself with Him. Make your choice wisely, Gabriel. And be safe. I leave my love with you."_

**xxx**

And he had left him this way. Confused, alone, hurt and stuck with a disgusting creation that he would not dare associate himself with if he had his own way. As he held no further instructions from the Father, he had no choice but to save the girl out of faith in his brother's word. Audrey was an earthling riddled with pure sin and temptation. Perhaps this was a test of Gabriel's loyalty to God's rule. If that were the case, he would have to watch himself around her. Chances were, she would play off more tempting upon waking and cleansing than she would asleep and filthy.

He cast his eyes upwards, murmuring a few simple, ancient prayers beneath his bated breath as he willed the pain in his fingertips away and continued his healing.

But upon reaching a small scrape upon her cheek, Gabriel felt no hot breath emitting from her mouth. A confused look slapped across his face that soon followed with worry. He struck his thick fingers against her jugular vein, fishing for a pulse, no matter how small. He felt nothing. Cursing beneath his breath, he began resuscitation. Pinching her pert nose, he opened the airwave to her mouth and immediately slammed his own upon her, forcing the breath of life into her lungs so that she may awake once more.

No... no, he could not lose her.

She was all he had...

"Pathetic human!" He hissed as he pushed against her chest, forcing her to expel the carbon dioxide unwillingly. "So quick to kill me and now so quick to give up. Weak." His hateful words merited no response from her unconscious form.

Again, his mouth consumed her own, pushing air past her bubblegum pink tongue and spilling into her lungs. He continued his ministrations with vigor, not daring to let her to die on his watch.

"Come back to me, little human." His eyes searched her unmoving form wildly, looking for a new way to help her without injuring her further.

"Please..."


	3. Chapter III

**CHAPTER III - Lost.**

_I saw a __savior__ - a savior come my way.  
><em>_I thought I'd see it in the _**cold**_ light of day.  
>But now I realize that I'm <em>_**only for me**__.  
>Here in my reflecting, what more can I say?<br>For I am __guilty__ for th that I obey.  
>To scared to <em>sacrifice_ a choice chosen for me.  
>If only I could <em>_**see**__; return myself to me...  
>And recognize the <em>_**poison**__ in my __heart__.  
>There is no other place, no-one else I face.<br>The remedy to agree with __how __I __feel__._

**"Machine Gun" by Portishead**

_"I'm scared, mom." Audrey hissed beneath her sobs. And somehow, she could feel her mother's caring hand upon her shoulder. Bright light shot from all directions, though it didn't blind her. Instead, it only intensified the love surrounding her. Tears streamed from her eyes as they arose to meet the almost angelic face of her mother. She smiled at her. Audrey felt nothing but pure peace consuming her. She hugged her daughter close, shushing her shaking shoulders until they ceased completely. Audrey couldn't help but revel in that moment. It was the first time in quite a while that her mother had shown her a scrap of affection. "I don't know what to do... I'm so lost."_

_"I know, honey. I can't promise that it will get any easier. But I can promise that you'll be okay, no matter what happens." She assured her. Another pair of strong arms encircled her and her mother._

_"Dad..." She whispered softly. Audrey could only smile as the tears continued to pour._

_"Missed you, kiddo." Her dad always used to say. The wayward, lost girl almost wanted to burst into another fit of sobs just knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear those words again. "But... he's calling you back."_

_She pulled away from her parents, staring at their beautiful, unmarked faces. She almost hadn't realized what her dad said until it finally clicked. "Who is?"_

_"Your savior, sweetheart. You still have so many things to do before you join us here." Her mother's tone was so sweet and serene. Audrey had a hard time not closing her eyes and relishing in the sound of it. "Your __**life**__ is just beginning."_

_"But... but I don't want to go back, mom. I..." Her mother placed a soft finger upon her lips, silencing her doubt for the time being._

_"We're running out of time, honey. We need to say goodbye." She cupped her daughter's face in her hands, planting a sweetened kiss upon Audrey's forehead. "I love you, baby. You stay strong." She stepped aside so her father could take his moment._

_He looked into his daughter's eyes, the utmost love and acceptance shining within his own. Audrey sniffled in response and he wrapped her up in a fatherly bear hug, almost hoisting her up from the ground she was standing on. He kissed her cheek. "I love you, kiddo. Don't you ever forget that."_

_"We both love you." Her mother's voice echoed. Audrey could feel them slipping out of her arms and into the oncoming shadows of her hazy mind._

_"I love you too." She whispered in response._

_And then... everything faded to black._

**xxx**

A faint grunt fled her parched lips and she reached up to touch her head, which was pounding from the deathly heat surrounding her. Her eyes opened, glad to find that she was hidden in the shade of a small cove on the side of a seemingly rocky mountainside. Her eyes darted from side to side, studying her surroundings with fresh eyes and crisp, painfully keen senses. Everything smelled so... defined and clear. Her eyes could see a tenfold better than anytime before. Her ears felt like they could pick up a bird pecking scrounging the cracks in the desert floor for a worm a mile away.

And yet her head continued to pound. Her heart hammered hard within her chest and she remained confused as to where exactly she was. She could taste sweat around her mouth... or tears... she wasn't sure.

Looking down at her freshly healed body, she studied her extremities with pure bafflement. Her eyes narrowed upon the dirt and blood that stained her unharmed flesh, then to her torso and legs, which were bare and exposed. Her skirt was mangled upon her hips and her corset was ripped in various places. Her shoes were missing. She could hardly fathom all that had went on the night before. No matter how hard she tried to remember what followed after her head struck that windshield, it was all to no avail.

She had stopped her curiosities, however, when she had noticed an exceptionally large pair of black wings obstructing her view of the desert floor. She would know wings like those from anywhere. The back of his damn head was even more painfully familiar and she knew who he was only by looking at him.

The large, death-dealing mace that lay perched upon the mountain cliff beside him was also a big clue.

_Gabriel.._.

Though all her paths from this makeshift campsite were sealed by Gabriel's keen senses and dynamite reflexes, Audrey only had one thing on her mind for the very man who was working on behalf of the core of this whole mess: revenge.

The teen hardly thought of herself as bloodthirsty or savage, but at this point, there was no such thing as Miss Nice Slut. Before she could stop herself, she had launched herself to her rejuvenated feet and hauled her half-naked body in his direction with all the strength and adrenaline-fused energy she could muster.

She had thrust her body into his own, causing gravity to take a turn for the worst and steal both of them from the jagged cliff of their safe haven. Luckily, the fall was only to a level a short distance below the one they had fallen from. Audrey felt parts of her legs and arms scrape from the impact but she hardly cared. At this point, she could take anything and _still_ want him dead under her hands.

"You asshole!" She shouted, landing atop his broad chest and pushing herself upwards. She slapped him hard across the face. Gabriel didn't even flinch, merely taking her anger in stride. "You did this! All of this!" She slapped him again. "You," slap. "Ruined," slap. "My _fucking_ life!" Harder slap. Clearly Audrey was not the finest in hand-to-hand combat. The majority of her fights had been up against other girls around her size or smaller. As such, Gabriel's body was probably absorbing each feeble smack like it was nothing.

But at least it damn well made her feel good. Once she had paused, breathless and sweating profusely, her eyes fell upon the stubborn face of her opponent.

He looked... angry? Maybe just blank and self-righteous.

"You ruined your own." Gabriel seethed.

Definitely blank and self-righteous.

_What a little shit!_

But just as Audrey had raised her hand to slap him one final time, his own caught her wrist so she could cease her frantic hysterics. "Let me go!" She shouted, beating against the metal plate of his armor as tears welled in her eyes. Her head was killing her. She was so _thirsty _and _hungry_. Even after such a short, simple struggle, Audrey hadn't realized how breathless and tired she really was.

He eventually released her wrist, watching as she wrenched herself from his body and slumped against the wall of the mountain, irritably wiping away her tears and sweat. Good. He didn't need her crying the whole time. As he attempted to push himself up, he received a hard and swift shove so he would fall back again. Grunting, he looked up just in time to find her running for her life along the narrow pathway on the side of the mountain. He stood, taking a few steps forward, considering merely capturing her and bringing her back to where she should have been resting. He stopped himself. He highly doubted there would be any personal gain in harboring her like a fugitive.

Let her run. He would follow.

Perhaps she could lead him to the _true_ answers he needed.

He highly doubted she had anything of value to him, aside from the mild entertainment of seeing her suffer.

**xxx**

Audrey's chest heaved as she slowed in her dead run, already dripping with sweat as she finally looked back. The mountain was still close, but there was enough distance so she could breathe and calm herself. Just ahead of her was the highway... where it all happened. Audrey froze in her steps for a moment, eyeing the long, narrow strip as though it held the very answer to life upon the asphalt in brail. She took a deep breath, her heart still racing like mad against her ribcage.

This was where everything ended... and _this_ began. Her eyes stroked along the pavement before her for clues of the wreckage, hoping to find something... anything to hint at something. A place to go, perhaps? Maybe Jeep and Charlie were still here, looking for her? Maybe they had left something for her to cling to? Something to follow?

God, how long had she been out of it? Jeep and Charlie were probably long gone and Audrey's heart immediately sunk to her bare feet at the thought.

They were gone and she was alone. With _him_ at her heels.

Normally such a notion would have come as a comforting pat on the back. But now that she was _truly_ alone... Audrey wanted to be around people again. She wanted her parents back, no matter how overbearing and cold they were. She wanted her friends back, even though the majority of them never cared for her in the first place. She wanted Charlie and Jeep and the baby... but they had long since forgotten about her. But she still wanted to be around _somebody_. Even if it was somebody she loathed entirely.

The only thing that stood in the way of her and her wish to be surrounded by life was her defying and unrelenting pride.

She had already run this far to escape Gabriel. The young Anderson girl was not about to turn heel and go screaming and crying back into his presence.

"Damn him." She muttered to herself as she pressed onward, ignoring the heat that stung her exposed arms and legs. Audrey's eyes squinted slightly, beyond the waves of heat emitting from the pavement. The wreckage. She could see it slightly sunken in the sand, upside down. The girl walked faster, not wanting to run again or she'd be sick and vomiting on the side of the road.

Not the best idea in this heat.

Upon reaching the center of the highway, she stalled, feeling the immediate urge to look down. Once she had followed her instincts, her eyes regrettably met nothing but a large puddle of dried blood. _Her_ blood. It trailed over quite a bit of ground before reaching her feet. She concluded, horrifyingly, that those were the marks indicating where she had bounced repeatedly off the unforgiving concrete before Gabriel had stopped them, then flew off and left her to go kill the baby.

Shit, she could _smell it._

Tears welled in her eyes while she sunk to her knees, ignoring the sting of the heated tar and asphalt. She reached out to touch it, immediately recalling the pain she had gone through; the sacrificial declaration for Jeep to hit the brakes, the way she had screamed in terror before she hit the windshield and sank willingly into a world of pain.

And beyond that clear plate of glass that was shattered by her and the archangel... nothing but a black abyss of sheer agony and flashes that she couldn't put together properly.

Audrey pushed herself to stand once again, brushing her knees off and proceeding to the car. Perhaps she could find something of use to her there.

The front of the vehicle was completely mutilated and the trunk was already opened. Audrey peered into the backseat, noticing a flashlight that she had used to poke around the diner. She reached in through the broken backseat window on the driver's side, grabbing the device and checking to be sure that it still worked before she moved on to the trunk, which had split open and scattered whatever cargo was left all over the sand.

Whoever owned this car before last night had packed to flee, that was for sure. Apparently it wasn't just Paradise Falls that was effected by the apocalypse. Noting a tightly sealed backpack tucked into the corner of the overflowing trunk, Audrey reached in, opening it feverishly.

The wonderful sight of apples, a few bananas, a few packages of dried ramen noodles and granola bars met her eyes, along with three or four bottles of water. All untouched by the crash, thanks to the clothes, blankets and pillows that were tucked away. The girl beamed, diving her hand in and pulling out one bottle, opening it and gulping over half the contents in seconds. Sighing in satisfaction, she closed the lid and took up the backpack, setting it at her feet and rushing through everything else. There was women's clothing that was a few sizes larger, and the style wasn't her own. Still, it beat the Hell out of wearing the same shredded skirt and corset for almost four days.

Through time, Audrey had shifted her carrying case to a rolling suitcase, finding it much easier than hoisting a backpack everywhere. By the time she had finished her thorough rounds of the car, she was ready to get on her way.

She had happily changed into a thin, white, spaghetti-strapped sundress that allowed a better airflow than what she was wearing before. She had also found a pair of flip flops. Two sizes too big, but they were better than bare feet.

_But to where?_ She thought as her keen eyes scoured the horizon. _There's nowhere to go. Can't go home. Don't know if there's a motel or something nearby, but by the looks of this Hell, I doubt it. _She looked to the mountainside where she had awoken, shuddering at the idea of reuniting with the very archangel who had been set on killing a child. _What the fuck have I got to lose?_ She shook her head, pressing onward down the road.

She could only pray that she would find a haven soon. This sun was just killing her.

**xxx**

Gabriel watched the young human as she began her journey, his bright blue eyes not falling from her for a second. Once she had ventured far enough, he decided to take to the skies and keep out of her sight, but keep her in his own.

She would come to find that escaping his wrath would not be so simple.


	4. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV - Breakdown**

_Do you breathe the name of your savior in your hour of need? _

_And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed? _

_Of implication, insinuation of ill will, 'til you cannot lie still? _

_In all this turmoil, before red cape and foil come closing in for a kill._

**"Carnival of Rust" by Poets of the Fall**

The moon shone brightly that night. Translucent waves of a comforting cool that soothed her sunburnt skin. The only things truly seeming to burn her were buried deep within her heart; regret, worry, doubt and hatred. The worry of what was to become of her in this Godforsaken desert. The regret of choices made in the past. The doubt that there was anything good awaiting yonder on her painstaking journey. Hatred from the blame she placed on those very few who had made her suffer the most. Gratefulness had swelled in that hurricane of destructive emotions at one point; a happiness to be alive and walking this Earth once again. However, sorrow and fear of loneliness immediately overtook whatever that good feeling was, as she had nobody to share her lividity with. There was nothing for her here. No love, just pain, numbness and shame.

Jeep and Charlie were gone. Granted, Audrey hoped and prayed and smiled at the idea of them still being alive. But what if they were gone? What if the only key to the survival of man had perished by Gabriel's hand?

The thought alone made her want to run back to the mountains and throw him right off that cliff again.

Gabriel.

She shuddered.

The wonder hardly struck her of why he was parked at her side when she awoke that day. Audrey didn't want to know why he had gone to such trouble. Had he not almost succeeded in killing her? It only proved he was not to be trusted. What if God changed his mind and ordered him to kill _her_ for whatever reason? Odds were, Gabriel would pick up his mace, aim it at her and say, "you want it in the head or the chest?".

Actually, no.

He probably wouldn't be so considerate to ask.

Audrey felt tears welling in her eyes. So much had changed. So many things were obsolete now. Phones, talking to friends, the internet... so many things that had made her so selfish in her past life. But... she missed it. She missed the simplicity of it all. If Audrey couldn't go home pre-apocalypse? She knew for a fact she had about a dozen other friends who would gladly take her in. But here, there was no place to go. No mission of life. Was she put back on this Earth as a sentence to simply wander aimlessly in this desert until she died of dehydration and hunger? Was that Gabriel's sick form of a joke: saving her so she would have nobody and live a slow, empty life until she died old and alone?

God, she felt so damn _lost_. Looking up to the sky, her tears blinded her from spotting the stars and constellations that snuck out to greet her. Audrey ventured to the shoulder of the road, planting her butt hard into the sand as she settled the wheel-run suitcase beside her. Dirty palms covered her face protectively, shielding her as she broke into hard sobs. A cool breeze slid around her shoulders, only making her shudder as her sensitive sunburn was cooled once again.

_I loved my house. This is all your fault..._

She sobbed harder, her shoulders shaking from the impact of her own tears. Even the dysfunction of her odd family didn't compare to this loneliness. Her mother may have said some horrible things, but it didn't make Audrey miss her any less. The kids she'd tried so hard to fit in with were cruel and mean and forced her to be the same if she wanted to fit in, but Audrey would have gladly walked upon eggshells if it meant she'd have somebody to talk to. Somebody who's voice was not her own. Her boyfriends had all been cheating, lying, cruel jerks, but at least Audrey would've had somebody to hold her as she slept.

All she was left with were her hopes, dreams and the knowledge that now... not a single part of anything she had done in her pre-apocalyptic life had made her a better person. Not one lick of it made her care more or help more or put in a little _more_ fucking effort. She had followed the herd so aimlessly that she honestly didn't even know who she was anymore. She was faceless to herself and now her own company was enough to drive her insane.

She wished she could have been more like Michael. He was so strong in who he was and what he believed that he _defied_ the Father to uphold what he thought deserved salvation. Michael had made his own choices without batting an eye and he had protected his decisions with his life. _He_ was a man worth admiring, killing her mother set aside. Audrey wished she possessed such strength to make and stick to her own choices.

She had.

The _wrong_ choices.

She wept still, curling up on her side on the soft sand at the shoulder of the stretched road. She had grabbed a few clothes from the suitcase, tucking them under her head. She then wrapped a fire-safety blanket around her, knowing the night would only get cooler from here. Audrey's eyes eventually came to a close and she forced herself to cease her tears. Crying would only make the situation worse and she knew it.

But sleeping would make this lonely time pass a little quicker.

Noting her own immediate exhaustion, Audrey's lids corseted to a tight close and she wrapped the blanket tighter around her. Slumber stole her away before she could even realize that just above her was a Creation cloaked by the midnight sky who had the capability to give her all the answers she needed.

**xxx**

_"Audrey..." cooed an ever-so-familiar, low-key-registered tone. Audrey spun, faced with naught but a vast field of wild flowers and a large weeping willow tree. Hearing her name being called again, she ran towards the aged willow and halted when she swept beneath the tickling, thin branches and saw nobody there. "Audrey..." She turned, then stopped when she was faced with the one archangel she had actually hoped to see again._

_"Michael!" She leapt into his arms, giving him a large hug. He seemed to pause a long moment before he returned it heartily, almost hoisting her dead from her feet and crushing her spine with his strength. Apparently she required his comfort much more than he previously assumed. But he knew to be gentle enough not to crush her completely._

_It didn't surprise her as she had thought. Michael had probably gotten hugs like this before._

_Audrey said nothing at first, merely burying her face into the crook of his neck as he held her in that tight hug. After a moment, he set her back down on her feet and looked at her fully. _

_Finally, someone to talk to, she thought to herself. _

_He could already see the warmth and happiness of having company spread throughout her eyes. She had lit right up. Good. He needed her to be in brighter spirits in order to break this news. But upon further scrutiny, he noted the bags under her happy eyes, the dirtiness that she'd been traveling in and the wilted look of her frame. She needed rest more than she'd admit._

_"You have not been resting." He stated as he folded his hands before him. "You should be sleeping well, Audrey. I need you to be in full health for him." His chiding caught her attention and she tilted her head off to the side in childlike curiosity. "Gabriel needs you."_

_"Needs me?" Shock slapped her formerly pleased expression hard from her face. "The guy who almost killed me and who probably killed Charlie and her baby needs me? What the Hell for?"_

_"Jeep, Charlie and her infant live." Audrey's heart almost leapt directly into her throat as she drank in the information with a growing smile. Finally, some good news. "They are on safe passage. It is my brother who is closer to his own demise than even he will see."_

_"Who gives a shit? He fought for the wrong side, that's his problem." The Anderson girl folded her arms over her chest in defiance. Michael's unrelenting stare told her he wasn't close to giving up yet. Audrey took it upon herself to remind him. "Michael, he almost killed me."_

_"And then he saved you. A realization of his own mistakes, is that not enough? Feel lucky you still walk this Earth, Audrey. You would not be, had it not been for him. He tried to kill the child. He did not kill your mother as I had and yet you run to embrace me and leave his aid. The possessed killed your father and Percy. Jeep's father sought his own way out by encasing Paradise Falls in flames in order to stall Gabriel long enough for you to get away. And Gabriel saved your life after everything."_

_"Yeah, a lot of good it did me, Michael. Look at me. I'm alone, I haven't slept, I'm fucking miserable. Don't you think that letting me die would be the merciful way?"_

_Michael shook his head immediately in response, reaching out to take up Audrey's delicate and slender fingers in his own. He needed her full attention._

_"Gabriel saved you because you were worth saving in his eyes. He saw a purpose in you. A path. And now, Audrey Anderson... you have no choice but to take his lead." He paused, looking down at his feet before meeting her eyes once more. "Gabriel has been banished from the Heavens."_

_Audrey looked at him with shock once more, pulling her hands away from his own as confusion riddled her eyes. "Banished? For what, doing what he was told?" It didn't make sense. An immediate, creeping feeling of guilt slithered into her heart. She stomped that fire out right quick._

_"That is exactly what." Michael confirmed. "The Father is displeased with Gabriel's lack of personal knowledge. As such, he will give him no further instruction until Gabriel finds his own voice as I have found my own."_

_"Okay, so... how do I play into this?" Her voice was a bit shaky. The idea of working with Gabriel alone was enough to make her disgusted with herself. Helping the very man who tried to kill an innocent child? How could she do something like that? The Messenger may not have killed all of her loved ones, but he had tried his best. That alone was enough for Audrey not to trust him even a sliver._

_"One of the most rebellious teenagers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and you can't see how you play into this?" A small smirk danced upon his lips, causing Audrey to lower her own gaze in self-pity. His hint of a smile faded instantly, knowing exactly where these changes in her demeanor would take them._

_"If I'd listened to them, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation." Ah, guilt, thou art a heartless bitch._

_"Damn your self-pity, Audrey." The harshness of Michael's tone stripped her of her guilt and replaced it with anger. "I need you to be focused right now. Be glad that you were there, for you would not have seen the truth of what exists and what does not. You would not have been able to believe in our Father or the angels, had you not seen them."_

_Audrey raised a pointed finger at him. "Knowing all those things exist is one thing, Michael. Believing is a whole different story. I refuse to believe in something I have no faith in."_

_"I understand your conviction, Audrey. Truly, I do. It is hard to believe, to have faith, when one does not see the good that belief and faith can bring. But you are missing my point. One of God's angels needs you. Gabriel is convinced that all the answers he needs, you have. As such, you've no choice but to keep at his side until those answers are found. Even if you run, he will hunt you. I know my brother." Michael sighed, unable to fathom the confusion she must have been feeling._

_"Now who would've given him __**that**__ bright fucking idea, Michael? Because the only person who knows me well enough to tell Gabriel, the Father's right-hand-man, that I have all the answers he needs-is you!" She pointed at him again. Michael knocked her judging finger from his sight and glowered at her. She returned it full-force. Michael fucking sold her out, like she was some kind of bargaining chip._

_"And what if it was I who told him of you? I knew you could help him, Audrey. I also knew you deserved to keep living your life as you were meant to live it. Free and uninhibited. Gabriel needs to understand that freedom as well. I could not tell you how long he has been under the thumb of the Father, nipping at his heels like a lost pup. He does not know himself. He can learn that from you, dear child. You've got so much more to give than you know." He encouraged, his tone a fraction softer now._

_Audrey almost felt those damned tears coming again. She felt like such a sap. She wasn't so prone to crying before. Maybe it was due to the situation. Perhaps from all the turmoil and danger she had gone through. Maybe this was just an adjusting period._

_Whatever the Hell it was, it was annoying._

_"Michael... I don't even know how to handle myself right now. What am I supposed to do with a 200-plus-pound, seven-foot archangel with a short temper, a cold heart (if one at all) and a Superiority Complex?"_

_She instantly hated Michael for dazzling her with a charming smile so unlike his foreboding personality. Apparently the way she described his brother was funny._

_"Though that description just happens to be my brother in a nutshell... I can just say that I know you'll figure out what he needs. You're smart, Audrey. I have faith in you." He hugged her again, his embrace chalk full of a brotherly affection. Audrey paused, unaccustomed to this humane version of Michael, then hugged him back. "You will be seeing me again, child. I promise you that."_

_"Good." Salty badges of longing welled in the corners of her eyes, but she pushed them back. She could not let herself break down again. "Tell __them__ I love them."_

_"Oh, believe you me, child. They know." He smiled again as he pulled back, placing a small kiss upon her forehead. Audrey closed her eyes, savoring the moment of affection. A final gesture of pure love from a man who cared more about her than she cared about herself._

_And then he was gone..._

**xxx**

Direction was not the only thing lost upon Gabriel as he hovered overhead, watching the girl sleep. Eventually, growing irritated with flying in circles, he landed noiselessly. Cautiously, he stepped closer to the motionless frame of the girl, being sure not to wake her from her slumber. He doubted he could, anyway. She was more than likely exhausted from her hours of travel. Her cheeks and arms were bright red from sunburns and her muscles were more than likely sore and screaming for a proper bed to rest upon. But no matter. Gabriel was not concerned for her comfortableness. He was concerned for his own redemption.

But he knew not where to begin his search. He no longer held the blessing of the word of the Father. As such, he held no instructions. He had been sent on a fruitless mission with a girl he cared nothing for, but had to find a way to make her accept him in order to get what he needed.

"Father, what am I to do? I do not love these creatures as my brother does. They have betrayed you in the worst of ways and they refuse to admit their wrongdoing. I do not understand. Why would my brother wish me to take faith in one of them?" He confessed, looking up to the sky. He felt nothing. Not even a comforting breeze to show that somebody was listening to him. He cleared his throat, forcing his harsh reaction to his abandonment at bay for the time being.

He paused in approaching the young girl, looking once again to the skies above.

Was this the type of abandonment that humans felt? Gabriel had always been blessed with the word of the Lord. He was even able to receive his commands on Earth. A human, however, was incapable of such things. Gabriel had never paid heed to it before, but thinking on it now... he realized just what it was like to feel like there was nobody watching over you. Like nobody cared. And yet... there were so many who's faith in the Father far surpassed their faith in anything else. And they never had proof. Just books of drivel and manmade tales of lore that didn't properly interlace with one another. A poorly-written book of fiction. Nothing more. No facts. No proof.

No wonder certain sinners didn't believe.

He knelt beside Audrey Anderson, studying her face as she was swept away into her deep slumber. Now and again, her fingers on her right hand would twitch against the cloth holding her head. Every time she moved her big toes, they would crack.

How... interesting.

He reached up to brush away a strand of hair covering her eyes. He wanted to study the extent of the damage he'd fixed the night before and make certain he'd covered everything.

Or so he told himself.

Beautiful creature, though once riddled with sin, he mused to himself before he dropped his hand and forced himself to forget his own disgusting realization before it took a stronger hold.

He looked to the horizon, noting the return of the sun. It was climbing into the sky at a decent pace. Hopefully Audrey would be smart and use the blanket to keep her in the shade during her travels. And perhaps, with more journeying and self-discovery, she would realize he truly meant no harm to her. He merely wanted answers, hardly a confrontation.

No matter how much her actions in her previous life still disgusted him.

He stood then, deciding now would be a good time to hide. He had kept his eye on her to be sure no other creature would be able to attack with the night's cloak as their advantage. But now, light was beginning to blanket the terrain, shying the visible threats away.

He took to the skies just then. Better to keep watchful eyes from afar until she found a certain... solid ground for herself.

He would need her in her best spirits before he attempted getting his answers.


	5. Chapter V

**Chapter V - Sway**

_In six-thousand years, what will this mean?  
>Words from the heart or a melody?<br>So caught in emotion that I'm overcome.  
>As I'm falling down, I come undone.<br>Sometimes I feel like I'm alone.  
>Sometimes I feel like I'm not that strong.<br>Sometimes I feel so frail, so small.  
>Sometimes I feel vulnerable.<br>Sometimes I feel a little fragile._

**"Fragile" by Delta Goodrem**

Frustrated with the sun, Audrey tucked the blanket over her head. She was trying her best not to be nudged into waking by the annoying ball of fire. But she was already sweating. Her dress clung hard to her soaked back and her head was pounding as her heightened senses picked up the various small sounds around her. Knowing sleep was lost on her, she pushed herself to her feet, swaying as dehydration struck her. The irritatingly hot mesh of light and heat was beating upon her brow hard, only intensifying the rush of pain that shocked her brain hard.

Eagerly ignoring her immediate dizziness, she pilfered the half-drunk bottle of water from the wheely suitcase and took a few more chugs from it. She felt instantly better, though slight nausea was beginning to creep up on her. Thinking fast, she decided to take an apple and granola bar from the bag and eat.

How long had it been since she'd eaten? Hunger almost instantly strapped itself to her unfilled stomach the moment she took a bite of the apple. She hardly noticed how fast she was eating it until it was gone.

Finishing her granola bar, her eyes darted between her paths. She could continue forth... or she could go back to the mountains, where Gabriel could possibly be waiting on her. Now knowing the dire situation he was stuck in, Audrey's heart went out to him. As much as she hated him, she felt for him... held sympathy for him.

She hated herself for it and immediately talked herself out of her own delusion.

"Screw him. He can come and find me." She muttered, her pride stealing away her growing sorrows for the fallen angel. But even as she gathered her things, she looked back once again. Her contemplation on her possible journey back was shorter this time. She shook her head at her own thoughts and began pressing on. If Michael was right, Gabriel would follow her.

_He can follow all he wants. I need to find shelter. I need it more than that jerk does._

**xxx**

Gabriel perched upon the roof of a motel. Not too far from where Audrey would soon be traveling from. He hoped she could find her way to him and not fall victim to any bystanders playing hurtful tricks on travelers. He had seen none as of yet, but humans were entirely unpredictable in post-apocalyptic situations. He had seen far worse, granted, but he still worried.

Still, he could only do so much with her hatred towards him. And he only _wanted_ to do so much with his hatred towards her.

His face sunk into his palms, his mind reeling with unanswered questions. Calloused fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as he attempted to relieve the stress of the situation. Hardly any luck, he mused to himself dumbly. All this turmoil was beginning to take its toll and his heart was trying to grasp the loss of its own Light. He was empty now, had nothing left to believe in, if not the Father Himself. He could not pray without the ultimate dread of receiving no response from the Heavens. Not even his wayward brother had bothered to point him in the right direction.

Just to Audrey. A simple, sinful human who he still barely made any progress with. Nobody had told him that simply getting her to stay at his side would be so difficult. Michael had not forewarned him of her hateful nature. He had not been told that this would all be so... hard.

"Father..." he whispered for what felt like the millionth time. His voice hardly carried on the breeze and again, seemed to reach no perked ears.

There must have been an easier way to earn His respect again. There must have been a simpler method of obtaining redemption. Not joining forces with a human; especially one as impure in soul as Audrey Anderson.

_That is why you failed Him_...

The words stung Gabriel's heart. With tear-stricken, oceanic hues, he turned his gaze to the Heavens, mutely praying until he had nothing left to pray about.

His brother had been so quick to judge, yet so quick to defend him the moment Gabriel's honor was in question. Michael knew and respected his undying loyalty; something Gabriel hardly comprehended. How could a brother so full of ill-will towards him stand at his side fearlessly after Gabriel had not hesitated in taking his human life?

He would not have shown Michael such kindness.

_That is why you failed Him..._

He wept and prayed again.

**xxx**

_"She holds the answers for you, brother." Michael repeated as they strolled the Earth's surface together. "Trust in her."_

_"I cannot, Michael. We angels serve a higher purpose than that of humans. They do no more than squander their abilities to choose foolishly. How can she be of any use to me?"_

_"Angels hold every right to choose, Gabriel. You are merely refusing to see your options. For once, brother..." he turned to Gabriel, placing a hand upon his cheek to gain his full attention, "set your pride beneath your feet. Walk with faith, heed my words. She can help you."_

_"I do not wish for this, Michael. I want no more than to be amongst my brothers again, feeling the Lord's kind presence. I do not want to join with a human; to be on this Earth." Gabriel almost choked on those last few words, but held his composure with pure conviction. Michael's stare intensified. Gabriel knew his brother was not finished with his own pressing information._

_"That is what you __want__, Gabriel. But Audrey... Audrey is what you __need__."_

**xxx**

What he **needed**? Gabriel still did not understand. Still, his wings would not allow him to take flight until he at least saw that she survived this far. Much to his chagrin, the only word he had left to follow was that of his brother's mouth. Michael was wise, Gabriel would grant him, but his obtuse ideas only left the Messenger wondering where his loyalties truly lay. Or his sanity, for that matter.

Nonetheless, he walked with as much stretching patience and faith as he could muster.

He awaited Audrey Anderson's appearance.

**xxx**

_Yes... yes... YES! LAND HO, BITCHES! _Audrey's mind screamed in triumph as she bolted in the direction of the lodge being slowly revealed behind a small incline of the road before her. Discarding her breathlessness and dizziness, she ran as hard and as fast as she could. Her muscles were screaming for more rest, for more time to gather strength. She ignored the pain, not wanting to miss the chance to be housed once again. To be in a bedroom. To be in a _home_.

She ran faster, the appeal of everything that awaited her only made her more eager to explore.

Vines crawled up the sides of the unkempt, dirty-white motel. Two stories. A pair of stairs with metal railings were leading up to the second floor on each side of the oversized, rectangular lodging unit. The pool rested on the right side, murky and mossy. Audrey flinched at the sight. A vending machine rested on each side, one looking like someone attempted to break into it and failed. There were twenty rooms in total, including the main office.

Pre-apocalypse, Audrey would have been disgusted enough by the look of this place not to bother setting foot in it.

But now, who cared? She was saved!

After stealing a tour of the perimeter outside and seeing nobody else, Audrey braved a venture into the main office. She would need keys for the rooms if she were going to attempt having a shower.

She just prayed there was power and clean water.

And of course, the moment she entered, she heard static coming from the TV in the far right corner of the room. She beamed, inhaling the scent of the oak furniture and mutely admiring the forest green tint that accented everything nicely. There were various pictures of the most calming aspects of nature scoured along the walls. Behind the main desk, a small picture of an elderly couple standing before the motel. She assumed they were the former owners and her smile slowly faded as she wondered what happened to them. She held a moment of silence in their honor and proceeded to grab the various sets of keys she found hanging on a rack underneath the homely picture.

She saluted them before she went off to use the running water to her advantage.

**xxx**

While the water contoured along her body, her thoughts trailed to the task Michael had given her. She almost wished the wicked archangel, Gabriel, was here. At least she would have somebody to talk to. Even if she hated him.

It was better than nobody.

Guilt struck her stomach hard at the idea of attempting to attack and hurt the very angel who saved her life. On Michael's word, of course, but still. Gabriel could have ignored Michael's warning and left her to die in the middle of that desert. He didn't. That had to say something... right?

_God, this is like some serious Stockholm Syndrome bullshit._ She mused to herself as she shut off the soothing water and wrapped the spare towel in the clean room around her slim figure. She brushed her freshly washed hair from her eyes, enjoying the watermelon scent of the motel's body soap and tiny shampoo and conditioner bottles. She gratefully used the deodorant and Apple Delight perfume that was nestled in the wheely-suitcase she'd been living out of.

Finally, she didn't smell like a foot anymore. The makeup and blood that had been caked on her face had washed away, leaving nothing but her natural beauty for the deserted world to appreciate. She stared in the mirror, feeling a bit more like her old self... but minus all the heavy foundation and eyeliner. Audrey then took the towel from her dried body, proceeding to try and get the water from her hair. The Anderson girl plopped tiredly down upon the neatly tucked bed, admiring the room in all its glory. It really wasn't anything special, but with Audrey's lack of decent shelter for the past few nights... this was pure Heaven to her.

And again, her thoughts were captured by the archangel who was probably in some advanced search for her. Or who was watching patiently from afar.

_You must help him, Audrey. Gabriel must find his true self..._

Self... Audrey was almost positive Gabriel never had a 'self' to begin with. Who, with his obedient and dog-like mentality, could have a 'self'? Who could have a conscience with such an attitude of hatred towards so many things? Gabriel had held no hesitation in killing his own damn brother, for God's sake! How could Audrey trust someone like that? How could she _help_ somebody like that? And also, how could someone so closed-minded and ignorant _save_ her?

In confusion of her own emotions, Audrey dove into her suitcase once again, grabbing one of the spare water bottles from her backpack and opening it. She gulped down the fluids eagerly, knowing she could just fill it back up with the tap water again. Once polishing off the entire bottle, she laid back in bed, eventually curling up in the covers, thankful that the air conditioning was still running. As the tiredness began to consume her, she shut her eyes, feeling loneliness strike her once again.

"Mom... Dad... I know you're up there somewhere." She spoke aloud, her eyes eventually opening and meeting the ceiling. Her hands folded over her flat tummy and she blinked back tears. "I wonder if you can hear me up there. If you can, I just wanted you to know that I miss you..." she choked back her emotion. "I miss you... _so much_." She reached up to angrily brush away some tears that fell, "and... I'm so sorry for... anything I ever did to make you guys mad at me. I just thought that it was the only way to get you guys to pay attention to me. But I know now... all you wanted was for me to be... _me_. I wish I'd known that sooner. But I know now." She nodded slowly. "I'll make it up to you guys. I promise. I will... never let you down again."

She turned on her side, another few tears seeping into her pillow as she felt sleep creeping up on her.

"I love you..." was all she whispered before slipping into unconsciousness.

And outside her window, sitting upon the roof of the welcoming motel, the very heartless archangel found it safe to study her as she spoke her thoughts. For a moment, he found her openness intriguing and captivating.

She had matured greatly from her past life, indeed.

For a ventricle of time... the ignorant Messenger _listened_... and _heard_... and _felt_...

For a moment... Gabriel did not feel so alone.


	6. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI - Killer**

_Who do you think you are, runnin' 'round leaving scars?  
>Collecting your jar of hearts and tearing love apart.<br>You're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul.  
>So don't come back for me.<br>Who do you think you are?_

**"Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri**

"Mm..." she groaned softly as a burst of light hit her face. Audrey's long, thick eyelashes batted lazily as she adjusted herself to the bright light. Eventually, she turned away from it and lay there a moment before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She yawned, thankful to have at least gotten a decent amount of sleep. She brushed her sweet-smelling, luscious curls from her face and got up from the bed, scratching her head as she proceeded to the bathroom so she could relieve herself.

She needed some sort of sustenance. Audrey could already feel it building in her stomach, forcing her awake, much to her body's protest. Her feet still tingled in pain from her journey with every step she took. By the time she was out of the bathroom, she was almost limping.

Still, Audrey put her sandals back on and continued out the door, heading for the vending machines so she could at least get a decent breakfast out of this place. Maybe afterwards she could hit the kitchens? Maybe there would be enough preservatives there. Hopefully it hadn't been touched. All she could do was pray silently that she would have something to survive on.

"Oooh, maybe they have some pop too!" She exclaimed to herself, sighing in thought of an actual, normal beverage as she stuffed her hands into the side pockets of her dirtied, white sundress, her hips swishing from side to side as she descended the stairs to the main walkway and rounded the corner where the previously broken vending machine sat.

Too careless, she immediately chided herself once her eyes rested upon the group of people dressed in black who were already at the vending machine. "Oh..." she muttered, but she almost kicked herself in the ass. That alone caused their attention to turn onto her. Several men, grown. Audrey could already tell that this was a situation that could not be talked out of. And damn her naivety. She had assumed she was alone here. Apparently not.

Fuck.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted." She turned to leave, to run back to the brave archangel that would protect the one he thought held all the answers to his redemption. But she was met by another broad chest. She looked up to the bearded male in his mid-thirties with a terrified glare, feeling immediately exposed in her thin garb. "Sorry..." she muttered again, trying to move around him. She stepped aside. He did too. She stepped to the other side. He blocked her path again. "Look, I don't want any trouble."

"'Course you don't. Little girl seems to be a bit lost, huh, guys?" The man facing her said to the rest of his crew. "Must've traveled a long way to get here." His voice was gruff, demanding. No matter the seemingly kind tone he put on, Audrey knew full well that his intentions were different. She could smell whiskey and cigarettes on his breath a mile away with her weirdly-heightened senses. Normally, she could talk herself out of situations like this. But after looking at the rest of the men, she had a feeling it would be nigh impossible. All it would really do is prolong her inevitable death.

"Uh... no... no, I..." She replied, thinking on her feet really wasn't her strong suit right now.

"Huh. Then you won't mind if we take a little ride then, huh?" Oh God, the old 'let us go for a ride' routine? Audrey was _not_ impressed. Despite her terrified outlook on the situation, she was pleased that she could still tell cheesy from downright terrifying.

She'd take the mace-weilding maniac over this jerk any day. At least Gabriel wouldn't threaten her with things like _this_. Death, yes. Torture and rape? Not likely.

"Uh... look, man... I don't want any trouble here. Take anything you want, but... I have to stay here." Audrey attempted to compromise, her gaze upon the ground now.

"Awh, you don't wanna come with?" He took a few steps closer, Audrey took the same amount back. Until her spine met another torso. Palms reached up to grotesquely grope her arms, tugging her intimately to her new captor's frame so she could feel the effect her thin, almost translucent sundress had on him. She shrugged them away, but the grip tightened to hold her in place. "We're gonna have a great li'l party not too far from here. We'd love it if you'd come with us." The man in front of her stepped forth, his front now flush against her own.

Audrey froze, knowing she was trapped. No matter how strong she played herself to be, she knew she wouldn't be able to get out of this scrape alone. Her eyes darted in all directions, frantically looking for a way out. Her breathing grew heavy and her heart raced in her chest. This would be the end of her if she didn't act quickly.

**xxx**

Polishing off the last bit of his armor and adjusting it, Gabriel shrugged his shoulders, enjoying the feel of being fully dressed once more. The armor set off a natural power, gave him a presence to be feared by humans. He had been able to sneak into Audrey's motel room for a moment to shower and cleanse himself. He had to admit, it was far better than anything he'd felt in the past few days. Amazing, how appreciative one could become of a simple cleansing session. No matter, the archangel was in a bit more of a hurry to relieve the room of his presence before she returned and began asking questions.

The last thing he needed was to spook her.

"**Heeelp**!" The bloodcurdling scream jerked the archangel viciously from his cockiness and his ears perked in response. He looked to the direction the scream was coming from and launched into action, bursting instantly through the ceiling, leaving behind a gaping hole of falling debris. Once high enough, he hurdled himself in the direction of the struggles and landed with unnatural ease.

Audrey restrained. Men surrounding her. Gabriel was intelligent enough to put one-and-five together.

His wings ruffled in annoyance from the realization of how she was being handled. The very human he had gone to great lengths of self-sacrifice to revive and protect was being treated as no more than... than a mere body.

Those times in her life were over, he mused as a newly-discovered beast reared in rage inside his chest with a growl he barely recognized. But he accepted it immediately and allowed it to fuel his anger.

Gabriel vowed in that moment that she would not be touched by another man.

"Yo, B, lookit this fucker right here." One of the men announced. The crowd turned their attention on him. He noted the fear in Audrey's eyes as she was refrained from going to him by her current captor, only causing that unfamiliar beast to roar louder in his chest in protest.

"Gabriel..." she whispered, beginning to shake her head. But Gabriel did not heed her warning, merely taking it as realization that he had followed her all this way. A good thing he had, just as well. He would not have been able to aid her in this if he hadn't.

**B** stepped forward, releasing Audrey with a hard shove and letting the another two lackeys take up her arms. Gabriel noted the fear in her eyes, the strain in the slender muscles of her arms as she tried to get away to no avail. His own glare intensified.

Gabriel, the Messenger and Warrior for God... was not pleased with this.

"Best be getting a move on, freak." The man commanded, motioning for the road Audrey had been traveling. "Unless you wanna get some serious problems your way."

"Like what? STDs?" Audrey snapped, only to receive a harsh backhand from B. But the incoming fist had just barely skimmed her cheek before a grunt and a thud resounded around them. In a blink, the leader of the group was up against the wall, Gabriel's mace tucked under his chin. Audrey could see the archangel's nostrils flaring from the excitement of battle. He had been _waiting_ for them to make a move. "Gabriel! Please... stop!" She begged of him. But the longer she stared... the longer she pleaded... the less he seemed to pay attention.

"I am willing to wager you begged the very same thing of them, little human." The archangel spoke finally. He looked back to Audrey, ignoring B's frightened shaking. Her speechless glare was enough for him to know. He turned his attention back to his new victim, a twinkle of vengeance gleaming proudly in his eye. "You do not deserve a life, considering the innocent one you were so ready to take."

"Gabriel! Please. They're not worth it..." But she seemed to speak too soon. With a twist and click of the handle of his deadly weapon, a sharp rod shot from the tip of the mace, striking through B's head and killing him instantly. A line of blood splattered onto Audrey's neck and she flinched, hardly feeling it when she was released and dropped to the ground like dead weight.

He lunged, mace at the ready. Everything seemed to go in slow motion from that point. Blood painted the wall of the motel, including the vending machine that once seemed so promising to Audrey's naive mind. Those who attacked wound up on the ground in seconds. The majority of heads had caved in from one swing of his powerful weapon. Gabriel didn't even blink. Even with the matter that sprinkled effortlessly onto his face.

He barely heard her screaming for him to stop.

He couldn't stop.

Everything seemed to be a blur. He had pinned the final victim and, even though he was long past dead, Gabriel could not cease the consistent lifting of the spiked ball, bringing it down blow after blow. Until there was nothing left of his face or neck.

He had almost proceeded to allowing the Heavenly steel devour his torso until his arm was grabbed. Gabriel reacted quickly. He turned to swing. A loud yelp and frightened bright eyes forced him to stop in his tracks.

Audrey...

"Audrey?" He asked it almost as an irritated father would a child who was interrupting his hobby. Audrey's eyes narrowed harshly. He could already feel the fury and fear emanating from her slim body. Apparently he had done something to displease her? No matter, he would not trouble himself in trying to figure out what it was. He was sure she would tell him.

"I told you to stop!" Tears were streaming along her cheeks. Blood stained her face from the carnage he had created. Her eyes were red and puffy from her hysteria and all Gabriel could do was stare as she fell apart. "You could have just scared them off! As if I haven't seen enough _fucking_ terror since _your_ precious little armies invaded! As if... _God_... so much... _fucking_ blood!" She looked down at her hands, shock taking control of her body. She almost hadn't realized she was holding her breath.

"I saved you, little human_. _Do not be blinded by bloodshed and jump to horrid conclusions. They would have killed you, had I not interfered. As such, their lives were inconsequential. Mere casualties of their own design. Nothing more." Gabriel informed her callously. His eyes narrowed upon her, not liking how she was (in his opinion) overreacting. "You have seen far worse since Heaven's attack, I am sure." He barely understood why she was allowing herself to get so worked up about all this. He had saved her life, preserved her soul in the most honorable way; war. Battle was always a way of honor in the Heavens. To willingly sacrifice those who opposed your loved ones in defense of their honor... it was a way of life.

"Yeah, and adding to it sure is making this shit better, isn't it, Gabriel?"

"I do not understand. You were in danger. I rescued you." Humans were normally extremely grateful for their lives being saved. He had witnessed it various times in both books and human interaction.

"My. _**Hero**_." She seethed, venom dripping from her quivering tone. It shocked Gabriel and he stole a step forth to try a different method of comfort. Perhaps a pat on the back? A brush of her hair behind her ear and a word of false comfort? Audrey swiftly snatched a pace away from him in the opposite direction. "Don't you dare come any closer to me." She warned before turning on her heel and leaving him in a huff.

**xxx**

"I demand news on my case's progress." Gabriel spoke aloud to his brother, Michael. He had called him forth through their brotherly bond, thanking the Father that He had at least granted Gabriel that form of access.

"I've heard no word as of late, brother." Michael studied the blood on the Messenger's face, tilting his head off to the side. "The nature of my being called? You _did_ spare the girl, correct?" He could not bare the thought of his brother defying one of their many commandments and destroying a girl so pure. He knew his brother wasn't nearly that stupid.

"Of course I spared her. Just as well. She was furious when I protected her from a threat of heathens only moments ago." Michael noted the confusion in his brother's gaze as he continued cleaning the weapon like the blood was nothing. He wasn't surprised. An archangel's skills in battle were most honored in Heaven, but heavily frowned upon and considered barbaric and against human laws on Earth. "I find it difficult to conceive that any progress is being made on my part, Michael."

"Well, I agree with you there." The Commander replied as he took up a seat beside his brother, studying the carnage that had taken place only moments ago with little emotion aside from curiosity and understanding. "You created quite a gory scene in front of an innocent girl. She had more than likely seen enough horrors to last her a lifetime. Perhaps she is not as keen on bloodshed as you are."

He noted his brother's pause in routine.

Good. He was learning.

"She had mentioned for me to stop before. That I could have simply scared them off, though it would not have done much good. I was not threatening enough to them as I was. I needed to _prove_ how dangerous I could be." He muttered the last sentence, his tone riddled with pure sarcasm.

"We are very different from humans. A lot of them do not wish to fight and needless killing is considered illegal. Remember, brother: her world is not based on violence and war like ours is. In Heaven, battles are a way of proving how deserving we are of respect and honor. On Earth, it is much different."

"How so?" Gabriel asked, not bothering to meet Michael's eyes.

"Well... many claim to be lovers. Not fighters. They... are not cut out for fighting. They avoid confrontation at all costs. Audrey is one of those humans. You will need to attune yourself to that..."

"Gabriel, who are you talking to-" the female voice caught the men off guard as they stood in the front of the building. The moment Audrey saw Michael's familiar face, however, her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. "Michael?" A long pause as the Commander turned and straightened respectfully in her presence, bowing his head in confirmation. "Michael!" She exclaimed before she rushed to hug him.

Just like in her dream, though this time Michael was prepared for the onslaught of affection. Luckily, Audrey had not noticed the way Gabriel stiffened when she had rushed to embrace the very archangel who had lead her through more bloodshed than Gabriel could have.

"It is wonderful to see you again, Audrey." He announced as he hugged her tightly.

Gabriel, however green with envy, simply watched behind a mask of curiosity. So quick to trust his defiant and rebellious brother and yet Gabriel was walking on eggshells for her approval? How was that fair?

"Same here. Can we walk? Talk?" She begged, wanting nothing more than to get away from Gabriel for the moment. This only made Gabriel fume to the point where steam practically blew from his ears.

Michael turned to Gabriel, raising a brow in search of his brother's approval. Gabriel seemed to pause a long moment to regain his composure before a nod finally sent in Michael's direction, albeit a hesitant one.

Already growing protective of her. Good.


	7. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII - Heart**

_So unaffectionate, so insecure.  
>You claim to know a thing or two about heartache.<br>And what it's like to have your insides pulled out.  
>And I believe you; I see it every time.<br>Your pallbearer's pallor is obscured by the darkness.  
>Dancing across your face.<br>And when the blackness veils your eyes in pain.  
>I know what it's like when memories make you wince.<br>With love letters read like obituaries.  
>And photo albums are the books of the dead.<br>I need no reminders.  
><em>_I'll forget the past.  
>And lay it to rest.<em>

**"Demonology and Heartache" by Atreyu**

Gabriel ignored the tugging feeling at his gut as he watched the two 'old friends' disappear from sight, hardly bothering to perk his ears in order to attempt eavesdropping. He merely turned back to his trusted weapon and continued cleaning it. Comprehension of the tiny, fiery human was fully lost on him. The way she defied him in his need to protect her, the way she glared at him, a Messenger for God, with such seething hatred that she almost burned a hole in his heart whenever he gazed upon her and... the way her nose would do a cute little scrunch whenever she was furious with him. He recalled catching a glimpse of it before when she was so quick to toss the both of them off the ledge of the tall cliff.

Still, the troubling tug remained. A girl he was so quick to save, so quick to protect and serve... was denying him. Normally, humans were ever-so-humbled and submissive when it came to meeting archangels. They never denied them servitude. But Audrey... she sought every opportunity to run, to hide... to strike against him by tongue or force. She would not bow, she would not bend and she would break for no God. In Gabriel's knowing eyes, she was just as Godless as his damned brother, even after her healing. Just as cocky, ignorant and self-righteous.

But no matter his self-convincing, the tug remained, soon traveling to his heart. It even rose to a certain level where he had ceased the ritual cleansing of his mace and placed his hand upon the Heavenly plate protecting his chest. The foreign, rapid thumping of the lively organ surprised him, called out to him in a different language and whispered to him things he held little to no knowledge of. For a moment, Gabriel was frozen in disbelief and shock of the sudden arising of a hunger; a need that demanded he take to his feet, follow the two and sweep Audrey from Michael's impure presence.

A hunger that demanded no man settle gaze upon her.

He bit back a growl of hatred for his own disloyal considerations, forcing himself back to his work, now in more a sour mood than ever before.

**xxx**

"Why do you look at him like you need his permission?" Audrey asked Michael as they strolled lazily around the motel. The Anderson girl made a point to keep away from the scene of the crime that only happened moments ago. She didn't need to break down for what felt like the millionth time today. She was too emotionally exhausted from one small encounter with Gabriel alone. How was she supposed to handle the rest of this journey with him?

Michael didn't seem to protest, nor mind. On the contrary, he found himself enjoying the slow, steady pace Audrey had chosen. And for now, he enjoyed listening to her, trying his best to avoid the root subject of their previous battle of tongues. He knew there would be far more. This was only the beginning and he wished to approach it with caution, lest he hit another brick wall.

"Let us not discuss Gabriel right now, Audrey." He set aside the inquiry for the moment. Audrey rolled her eyes and gave him a look. Michael brushed it off.

Audrey wasn't so quick to retreat.

"C'mon, Michael. You can tell me." She assured him. Michael hesitated, then caved.

"I need assurance that you'll not say a word." He compromised. Audrey said nothing, merely nodding in confidence and holding up the 'scouts honor' sign. Michael considered her for a moment and continued. "Archangels come from a place of consistent warfare. No matter how humans perceive the Heavens, every level, or sphere, has a different job."

"Sphere?" Michael looked to her. Audrey clamped her mouth shut.

"There are three spheres that the Heavens comprise of. Depending on each level of angel there is. The first (in this case, the Third Sphere) belonging to the Principalities; the Guardians of cities, nations and rulers and who also play as guards against the invasion of evil angels. Archangels, most commonly known as the commanders of God's armies, but we also deliver God's most important messages to humans of choice. And the final species are Angels, who are the celestial beings closest to humans and act as intermediates between the Father and humanity-"

"Guardian Angels, right?"

"As they are most commonly known, yes." He nodded, pleased that she was not so quick to judge, but merely seemed curious. He pressed on, "the Second Sphere is comprised of Dominions, who ensure that God's wishes are being properly regulated and carried out amongst the angels; Virtues, who bring God's blessings (or as human's call them, 'miracles') to Earth and assume the acts of courage and heroism to some; and finally, the Powers, who's main responsibility is to keep the world in balance and to ensure that Evil will never prevail over this Earth." He looked to Audrey's wide eyes. "Surprised?"

"I... I just always thought that Heaven had some fancy Pearly Gates and a group of angels all in white robes and white light. Nothing but peace."

"You would be surprised how little we get." He replied, flashing her a knowing smile. "The First Sphere holds the Seraphim, who's only duty is to sing God's praise and regulate the Heavens. In my opinion, the most useless of all." He grinned again as Audrey laughed. "The Cherubim, who guard the very gates of Eden."

"Aren't they the chubby babies with wings and cute little harps?" Audrey asked, smirking slightly.

"Oddly not. The Cherubim are actually with four faces and four wings." He moved along quickly before she could delve into further questions. "And finally, there are the Thrones. They hold the duties of carrying out God's decisions."

"Basically passing them down the grapevine?" The girl looked to Michael for his nod of approval. She received it with a surprised look. "So... why tell me all of this?"

"Because Gabriel is God's Messenger. He has always been a... jack-of-all-trades of sorts when it comes to God's word. I cannot tell you how many times he has traveled through the Spheres, battled in His name and never lost a wink of sleep because of his loyalty." He paused in his step, turning to face the human girl with a slightly stern look. "My brother has been stretched thinner than he will ever admit to you or myself. He has been used to the point where he knows not who he is. Believe me when I tell you, Audrey, the Creation you see today is not the brother I knew long ago. He held more life, more love and more compassion for both the Father and humanity than even that of myself."

"So... what happened to him?" Audrey leaned against the wall of the motel, mutely hoping they were out of Gabriel's earshot. Even her own keen senses couldn't pick him up.

"Various things. He was not able to cling to his love for humanity as I was. He had given up long ago on protecting your kind. I do not blame him. From the toll Evil has taken upon this world... I should have lost my own faith along with him. Gabriel only seemed to be more pained by your paths of destruction, hatred and greed and devoted his love to the Father completely. But I still hold faith that his love for your kind can be renewed." He gave Audrey a hopeful look. She almost wanted to slap him in the face for making her feel so guilty. "Since he has discarded his love and faith in humanity, he barely understands how to hold his composure. And without the word of the Father to guide him, he is much more lost and angry than I have ever seen him. He is an Archangel without a purpose, a Messenger without a message, if you will."

She loathed Michael for making sense right now.

"Michael... I don't think I can do this." Audrey spoke softly, trying not to let the emotion catch her voice as the sun glared down upon them. "I'm not strong like you or Gabriel. I'm just..."

"Do not say 'weak'." Michael cut her off, guiding a strong arm around her shoulders and pulling her close for a long, reassuring hug. "I know your path may seem bleak, Audrey. I know you are afraid and mourning the loss of many. But I have seen the bravery in you. Eighteen years old, your mother betrays you after growing up with her overbearing ways. Yet you find it in your heart to trust in Charlie, who never wanted to be a mother in the first place. Your father was ripped from you, yet you still have faith that he is in a better place, that he is a good man and your mother is a good woman. You held so much faith in my cause that without question, you sacrificed yourself to keep that child alive. **That** is bravery. **That** is strength."

The girl pulled back after a moment, angrily brushing the tears from her eyes. "But Gabriel is so much stronger than me."

"In build and dedication to the Father, yes, perhaps. But his heart is naught but a void that must be replenished with patience, love and trust in God's most prized creation. You have all these qualities, child." He grasped her shoulders, looking into her eyes with a trusting glare. "Please help him, Audrey. It breaks my heart more to see my brother living an immortal life that lacks in such beautiful love than any banishment from the Heavens."

Audrey sucked in a deep breath. Right now, it really didn't matter if she was ready for this or not. It would happen either way. She wasn't going to let life pass her by a second time.

"Fine. I... I won't let you down." She said, closing her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead before she added, "I mean, I might let you down, but... I'm gonna... do my best... not to." She laughed when Michael did, finding a bit of humor in her hesitation.

"Thank you, Audrey." Was all he said before he kicked upwards into the sky, only to be consumed by a Heavenly white light and disappear into nothingness.

Brushing her naturally curly hair from her eyes in annoyance, she turned her gaze away when she could stare no more, turning those piercing hues humbly to her feet.

She was _so_ not ready for this.

She sighed, turning on her heel and heading back towards her room, trying to think of what she could possibly say to the 200-plus-pound Archangel who was probably sitting on her bed, waiting for her.

Oddly, no words sprung to mind.


	8. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII - I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends...**

_I'm frightened by what I see.  
>But somehow I know there's much more to come.<br>Immobilized by my fear and soon to be blinded by tears.  
>I can stop the pain if I will it all away.<br>Don't turn away (don't give into the darkness).  
>Don't try to hide (though they're screaming your name).<br>Don't close your eyes (God knows what lies behind us).  
>Don't turn out the lights (never sleep, never die).<em>

**"Whisper" by Evanescence**

Gabriel's impatience and worry was just and self-righteous, as he had taken the time to thoroughly convince himself of such. But there was a vibration of pure evil soiling the air around him. There must have been a reason such a group had turned to wicked ways upon this very ground. Normally, it meant certain unwanted spirits were afoot and ripe with mischief. Humans weren't normally so destructive on willing grounds. Not from what he recalled, anyway. Perhaps certain influences were at work? He was unsure and they hardly had time to stick around and scout the area.

The headstrong archangel was already feeling the dire need to leave the premises. He was uncomfortable with the aura surrounding him and growing more edgy by the minute.

The Messenger hardly had time to dwell on his own feelings (if there had been any brewing in the first place) when he had heard the doorknob for the motel room turning to open the entrance. Audrey had followed suite soon after the door opened, shutting the large slab of mahogany behind her and leaning against it as though she was unsure of the idea regarding being in the same room with him. And considering all that Michael had informed him on, Gabriel could not say that he blamed her for it.

However, it did not help him become content with the idea of her constantly avoiding him. It would only prolong his stay here.

"Hi." She said, searching for the proper words to say. Gabriel hardly gave her a moment to speak before he stood and wheeled her suitcase (which almost seemed like a clutch on him and his large frame) to her feet. "What's happening? Where are we going?" She took another moment to drink in the debris around them. "And what the Hell happened to my ceiling?"

"Away from here. I am not sure what caused your attackers to be so determined to ruin purity, but the vibrations I am getting from this room tells me that something else is arising that we want no part of. I wish to keep moving." He said, almost like a know-it-all child. Audrey shook her head in disbelief. "And I broke through the ceiling when I flew to rescue you."

"Gabriel, those guys were assholes because they were assholes. Humans just... do stuff like that. A lot. Because they had mommy or daddy issues or because they have some sort of psychological complex, but... I slept in this room last night and I didn't feel anything." She shrugged. "I like it here. I want to stay here and I'm going to stay here. If you don't like it here, there's the door, nobody's stopping you." She folded her arms over her chest, working her jaw in determination. He was NOT going to win this battle.

Another pause ensued before her eyes narrowed dangerously and realization struck her.

"What. Were you doing. In my room?" She drawled out in a threatening tone.

The Messenger almost wanted to smile. What was she going to do? Slap him and gain nothing but a smarting palm?

Gabriel gave her a stern glare. "Cleansing myself. And the reason you have not been touched is because you were healed by _me_. Why do you think you are able to hear so well? Why do you think your senses are heightened? I restored every part of you to its natural and untainted state. Anything touched by purity can be _influenced_ by evil, but cannot be controlled by it." He took a step forth, his large frame looming over her tiny one. This caused Audrey to have to crane her head upwards so she could meet his eyes defiantly. "I am not leaving this forsaken place without you. You will come willingly... or I will _make_ you come." His tone was so matter-of-fact, so my-way-or-the-highway that he didn't even blink.

It was a simple ultimatum, wasn't it? Even Gabriel thought he was being fair in his choice-giving.

Audrey, however, thought he was being a downright ass.

The Anderson's eyes narrowed. "I want. To stay. Here. I just got here. I've been on the move for days. I like it here. And even if I have to chain myself to that damn bed frame, I am _going_ to stay here whether you approve of it or not. Just because you saved my life doesn't mean you own me." Her head swiveled with the ultimate feminine attitude. Her eyes were wide in defiance. So wide, in fact, that Gabriel could count the small flecks of green and blue that made her orbs so captivating.

"You would be surprised how wrong you are, Audrey Anderson." The steps he took forth were the same steps she stole backwards from him. To the point where her back met the wall and Gabriel's intimidating face was close enough that their noses were just barely touching. "I gave a part of my innocence to heal you. As such, my power flows in your veins and makes your heart beat. I own you. You are _mine_. I am taking what is mine with me to a safer plane. Whether you approve or not holds no effect on the finality of my decision. But I strongly suggest you comply."

Audrey gulped, her eyes drinking in almost every chiseled feature of his face, hardly noticing that his eyes had flickered to her mouth once or twice before averting back to her eyes. Was it odd that, in this moment, she could feel her blood boiling in anger, but her heart boiled with thoughts of shutting him up in an air-tight lip-lock?

Stockholm Syndrome, indeed.

"Or what?"

xxx

Audrey muttered a long string of curses as she drove along the highway, listening to a plethora of CDs that she had stolen from the various cars in the parking lot. The good thing about all these cars was that she could pick the one of her liking, as well as anything she wanted from all the suitcases. This was like a clepto's wet dream, this post-apocalyptic world. There were no higher authorities to tell you "no".

Well... other than Gabriel. But he didn't seem to mind the idea of Audrey taking those trivial things. All he seemed to care about was that Audrey was behind the wheel of that car and driving off into the designated direction of his choice, far away from the 'evil' that sought her out there. Or... the 'evil' that Gabriel believed was seeking them out there.

"Big dumb archangel with his big dumb muscles and his big, dumb, blue eyes. Bet he bats those things and even God goes, 'okay, what do you want?'." Audrey muttered under her breath as she remained behind the wheel, looking bored out onto the stretch of road. She had to admit, though, she felt a lot more free traveling like this than she had when she was walking. At least the car had AC. And music. She couldn't really complain, aside from the fact that she was dead tired.

Various other circumstances clouded her mind as the time passed. Questions riddled her thoughts and consumed her brain as she tried to wrap her understanding around them. But to no avail.

Had Charlie and Jeep ever returned to the crash site to see if she was alive? Did they even care? Why had Gabriel listened to Michael this one time when on so many other occasions, he had been so quick to defy him? Why had he been so quick to save her? And what of the energies that belonged to him? Would they give her some sort of freaky superpower? Or were they just energies to keep her alive and well?

Audrey had become so lost in thought, she hardly realized there was an object obstructing her view from the shoulder of the road. She had slammed on the brakes just then, eyeing the figure a bit closer.

It was human! Holy shit, somebody else was alive other than assholes!

"Oh my God." Audrey muttered as she was so quick to exit her car and stand behind the male. "Hey! Hey buddy! Are you alright?" By the looks of things, she'd say no. Upon closer glance, she could see the tinfoil hat placed ever-so-neatly upon the boy's head. Along with the rather large contraption he was traveling with. At first, it looked like some sort of solar panel, but Audrey couldn't really make it out by the cloak of night. "What'cha doin'?"

"Nothing of concern to you. Please go away." He replied curtly. Audrey gave his back a confused glare.

"Do you... want a ride or something?" She asked.

"Silence is a very important factor in many cultural spectacles, as in rituals. It is the relative or total lack of audible sound." He informed her randomly. The young girl shook her head, not fully understanding. "I figured you were unaware of the meaning, since you were so adamant on interrupting my practice."

"What, are you praying to the alien gods? Is that what the tinfoil's for?" She mocked. The boy scoffed, finally turning his lanky form to face her.

"Extraterrestrial life, or 'alien life' or, in Lament's terms, 'aliens' is described at best as hypothetical forms of life range from simple, bacteria-like organisms to beings far more advanced than humans. As such, they could never be compared to any deity. Advanced, yes. Holy? No." He informed her, clasping his small contraption in front of him so... eloquently.

"... Wow. You really don't get out much, do you?" She asked, completely baffled by his lack of socially interactive skills. Audrey had met many nerds who were able to uphold decent conversations a lot better than this kid. But... wow. He must've been some sort of cocky genius to be spewing information like that to a stranger. A mouth such as his was bound to get him into trouble.

He held his skinny arms out away from his body. "Where would I go?" He asked, laughing somewhat at the idiotic question.

"Look, super genius... I've got a long ways of driving to do. I would really like the company and you seem... somewhat normal. Where are you headed?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"...You still want to offer me a ride?" He asked in confusion. Audrey shrugged helplessly and nodded.

"I don't feel right, leaving you out here by yourself. There's a lot of whack-a-doodles around here. And with your mouth? You're bound to get your ass handed to you if you don't get a ride from me. So what's it gonna be?" He seemed to take a moment to think on her words, pondering her sentiments wisely.

"Suppose your thesis is correct. Would you be willing to drive me to the next town over? It's on your way." He inquired.

Audrey offered a smile. "Hop in."

xxx

A/N; I know, this chapter probably isn't the best, but I was half-asleep when I wrote it, so gimme a freakin' break. XD! I'll probably fix it up on the morrow when I've had some rest. But in any event, this is how I see the new character I just added in this chapter.

http: images/ fgaleria/ 11000/ 11046_jim-parsons. jpg

You'll have to get rid of the spaces, but it's Jim Parsons from Big Bang Theory. Words cannot express how much I love that character.

Now... let's see how many of you get my "whack-a-doodle" comment.

Sincerely,

Censorship.


	9. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX - Try.**

_Someone sang your name today and a stranger saw me crumble.  
>Hauled my broken hearted shell away, beggin', "bury me beside you".<br>The Devil popped around today, selling promises and potions.  
>That would take our memory away, help forget I'd ever met you.<br>Tell me, can you please, kindly take away the misery?  
>But I want you, I need to forget you, I don't want to, but I need to let you go.<br>The Devil bent my ear today about his magical elixir.  
><em>_That would make the sorrow go away, help me forget I'd ever met you.  
>Give me a baker's dozen, please.<br>Wrap me up to go away._

**"Potions" by Puscifer**

Upon further thought in flying the skies, Gabriel _still _hardly understood why the Father chose now to judge his loyalty as a severe lack of self-purpose. All the had done was serve him well and he was cast out because of it? The thought alone caused Gabriel's blood to boil in anger, but he had pushed it deep down, trying his best not to think ill will upon a deity with much more wisdom than he. And if that was the case, perhaps questioning the Father's word at all was a sin in itself. Gabriel would not know. He had never questioned Him before.

He muttered a string of ancient curses under his breath, allowing his thoughts to change focus onto another subject, lest he be incriminated.

Perhaps it was not such a good idea, for the moment he shifted thoughts, all he could focus on was that pair of turquoise-tinted orbs staring so defiantly up into his own. Audrey Anderson. A plethora of confusion. An island in herself. She was not to be touched, not to be beckoned or commanded and not to be wounded by any person or archangel. And she was more of a pain in the ass than any other human Gabriel had ever had the misfortune of meeting. She was so... stubborn. Much like himself, he supposed. She was so cruel with her words, so blatant and forward, so... without a filter.

But so damn beautiful when she was angry with him.

Gabriel had confessed that he had given a part of his innocence so that her own would be spared. What he had not realized was what part of his innocence he had so willingly given. His own thoughtful filter. The part of his mind that so willingly shielded him from impure thoughts and actions. He knew it would be tenfold harder to avoid thinking of Audrey or looking at her in a vulgar human manner. Whenever angels gave a part of themselves to rescue humans, they usually wound up... well, he would not dwell on it. Some things were better left without being rectified.

Perhaps changing his train of thought would be more beneficial.

It wasn't working too well for him. Parts of his brain were already manufacturing the sweetest of scenarios where he sought to hold her... where he sought to kiss her tempting lips... where he sought to rid her of her thin gown and taste her body... where she lay splayed beneath him in all her glory, finally at his pleasurable mercy. The most intimate part of him twitched in response to such thoughts, grew hard and wished to plunge into her innocence... make her cry out his name as she finally gave herself to him. Willing, wanting and wet.

He recalled their confrontation just then. Her scent... like watermelon. Her eyes... pools of desire and remarkable strength; enough to draw him into their deepest depths and merely remain there for days. And that cute little scrunching of her nose had presented itself once more. Her full lips had pursed and in Gabriel's mind, he had not stepped away from her, hauled her over his shoulder and taken her to the cars in the parking lot kicking and screaming. No... he had hauled her over his shoulder and tossed her viciously onto the debris-covered bed, stripping her of every article of clothing and rejoicing in the intimacies and delectable treats her body had to offer to him greedily.

A knot formed in the pit of his stomach.

She probably tasted _Heavenly_.

Or perhaps, pinning her to the very wall she'd backed herself against, riding her body up and rucking her loose, frumpy skirt around her hips and forcing her to receive him... truly showing her that she belonged to nobody but _him_.

The unfamiliar beast roared up again in approval of his fantasies. That same part of him twitched in sheer want once more when he thought about their newly formed bond.

_That's_ what happened when an archangel gave his energies to a human. It bound them in spirit and heart. Whatever desires the human felt, the angel would feel it as well and vice versa. At the sudden realization, Gabriel could only imagine if such thoughts were crawling wickedly into Audrey's own mind.

He almost hoped they were. Then he would not have to suffer in unfiltered lust alone.

_Gabriel..._

At first, he had thought he heard Audrey's feminine tone ferrying itself upon the air to his ears. And for a moment, he attuned it to his imagination, thinking it was all in his ecstatic fantasies.

_Gabriel._

There it was again. But deeper. Darker. Sinister.

_GABRIEL!_

His mace had been drawn and he halted in mid-air, his great wings flapping hard to keep him afloat as he swung the very weapon around. Preparation to battle a ghost, perhaps? Audrey's voice had vanished. All that was left were a million calls of pure darkness. A whisper of his name on the wind that called from the very depths of Hell. All that followed his paranoia was a bellowing laugh that almost deafened his ears.

There was definitely something wrong. But it was no longer with the motel. It was on the move. Whatever this dark, evil force was, it was following them.

He didn't want to put added stress on Audrey's shoulders.

Let Lucifer have his games for now. Gabriel would not fret, as long as she was safe and had not veered off course.

**xxx**

"Did you know that the Mojave Desert is crossed by two rail lines and two highways. Military installations were established in the Mojave during World War II; Edwards Air Force Base is perhaps the best known..." God, this kid really never shut up, did he? Dexter Paragrim honestly didn't understand how lucky he was, being in the same car of a girl as patient as Audrey.

But she could hardly concentrate on the road or on the scrawny boy next to her. Her body was pulsing as unwarranted and unwanted images struck through her mind and tingled her senses to their deepest nerves.

_Gabriel_...

At first, the scenario of merely being held had crossed her mind. But then a hug turned into a kiss, which turned into hands forcing her feeble clothing away, which turned into a mouth devouring every inch of her... then that vision turned into a gratuitous lovemaking that could shake her to her a replay (but a different outcome) of their confrontation... twice. Whatever was causing these thoughts had to stop. And Audrey had a very strong feeling it had something to do with those stupid 'energies' Gabriel was so adamant on explaining to her. What made her _his_.

When they had finally arrived at the next town over, Audrey was hardly surprised to find it was abandoned.

"Where are we?" She inquired. Dexter merely gave her a look.

"Well, I've explained the map to you several times on our way here. This is Calico. It's a ghost town." He replied, relieving the vehicle of his presence.

"Huh. So I guess it was dead before this little apocalypse thing. Oh, shit!" She muttered, scrambling out of the vehicle and searching the skies. "Gabriel." She whispered. She hadn't told him she was changing directions. Hopefully he had kept an eye out for her vehicle. Otherwise there would be a royally lost, pissed off archangel traveling the skies in the wrong direction.

Shit.

"Why would you want to be stranded in a ghost town?" She asked Dexter, her gaze still cast upwards as she ignored the burning on her cheeks and body. Damn those mental mirages of pleasure! Audrey had half a mind to jump God's Creation the second he showed up, against her better judgment.

Oh, how she _hated_ him right now.

"It's a restored ghost town. Many shops and the like. Plus, I've just always wanted to come here." Dexter said matter-of-factly. "The last original inhabitant of Calico before it was abandoned, Mrs. Lucy Bell Lane, died in the 1960s. Her house remains as the main museum in town-"

"Yeah, that's fascinating." Audrey cut him off in a bored manner, murmuring softer to herself as her eyes searched the skies. "Gabriel, where are you?"

**xxx**

_Why... stranded... ghost town? _The crackling voice echoed through his brain, stalling him slightly. _Gabriel... where are you?_ Her crystal clear inquiry caught his attention and he swiftly turned.

Audrey.

She had changed direction without informing him.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed venomously upon the roads below him.

"Stupid girl." He growled beneath his breath as he dove through the skies at a quicker pace, pumping his wings rapidly to push him further as he rounded the skies and aimed for her location.

**xxx**

Audrey stalled, tuning out Dexter completely as worry filled her being from her toes to her heart.

Oh boy. She was going to be in _serious_ trouble.


	10. Chapter X

**Chapter X - Try Not. Do or Do Not.**

_Take your time.  
><em>_I'm not scared.  
><em>_Make me __**everything**__ you _need_ me to be.  
><em>_So the _judgment _seems__ fair.  
><em>_Don't waste your time.  
><em>_It's **never** **enough** for you, baby.  
><em>_Don't wanna play your game anymore-  
><em>_No matter what you say.  
><em>_I'm all out of **love** for you, baby.  
><em>_Now that I've tried _everything_...  
><em>_I'll _numb_ the **pain** 'til I am made of stone._

**"Made of Stone" by Evanescence**

"Okay. The last thing you were doing before the apocalypse came. I was sitting in a diner with my mom and dad, listening to the juke box." Audrey grinned, liking the idea of remembering simpler things than this. But of course, with a person as narcissistic and rude as Dexter, it was a tough gig, trying to be happy around somebody who seemed so emotionless and stoic. Almost like Gabriel, who still had not shown his face. Audrey didn't want to admit to anybody but herself just how worried she was about that archangel.

"Playing World of Warcraft." Dexter replied nonchalantly as he stuck his finger in his mouth and tested the air around him, wiggling his butt around in his seat, which was naught more than one of four logs around a campfire built in honor of the town's tiny camping ground in the middle of a sand bar. "Nope, this seat will not do." He finalized before he shoved himself up from the slab of wood and plopped down upon another. He shifted for a moment before he smirked. "Oh yes... yes, this will be my spot."

"Dex, we're outside. How can you-?" He gave her a look, causing Audrey to clamp her mouth shut and not question his methods. He _was_ a scientist. Perhaps his intelligence and methods were better left misunderstood. "You really are a geek, you know that?" She moved to lay back upon her log, shoving a jean jacket from her suitcase under her head as a makeshift pillow. She was ready enough to just fall asleep right here. But she wanted to be awake to explain everything to Gabriel when he arrived. _If_ he arrived.

Her heart sunk again.

"Well, that's true. But at least I admit it. Your constant fallacy-weaving of a flying man in medieval armor with razor-sharp wings and a giant mace is mostly evidence that you suffer from some severe mental illness. Likely Wonderland Syndrome. You wouldn't happen to have any migraines or brain tumors, would you?" Dexter retorted, munching down on some of the snacks they had stolen from the gift shops there. It turned out that this trip to this town wasn't so much wasted. At least Audrey was able to pick up food for her journey.

"I'm _not_ making Gabriel up, Dexter." She growled in a warning, not bothering to look at him for fear that the cocky bugger was smirking in response to getting her all riled up again.

"Says you." His following statements were hardly dignified with vocalization before a loud shout fled his lips and he ducked, rolling from his precious spot just in time to avoid a giant mace with killer intent. A skull-splitting crack was heard and the log just across from Audrey shattered right down the middle, causing the girl to shoot up from her spot and scramble around the campfire to her new friend's aid.

"Gabriel!" She slid in front of Dexter, holding her hands up once she got between the two males. "It's okay! He's okay! Please, just calm down."

"You." He viciously grabbed the front of Audrey's sundress, skidding her feet in the sand as he dragged her up to eye-level. "We are walking. Now." Without another word, he plopped her back upon her feet and grasped her elbow, leading her away from the campsite ruthlessly. Already, Audrey could feel a large bruise in the shape of his fingers forming on her arm. But with the turn of events that happened so fast, Audrey honestly had to say that she was happy enough he was alive.

"Gabriel, I know what you're going to say. I'm _so_ sorry I didn't tell you I was changing the direction we were going in. I wasn't thinki-"

"You could have been killed. Veering off path and aiding a stranger. Even someone you _know_ could have been possessed. They would have trapped you in an instant." Gabriel chided her as he lead her away from the campfire. "And what would you have done? Nothing. You would have been dead." She could have called him through their bond, but clearly, she was not aware that it was active. He was sorely worried for her naive choices and was coming to the swift conclusion that leaving her alone for any period of time was a very bad idea.

"Look, Gabriel, I said I was sorry. What more do you want? Besides, God's not possessing people anymore, so I'd be safe." Audrey snapped back at him, immediately growing irritated in him treating her like a child. Well... she was significantly younger than him, but still. He wasn't here to play the "daddy" role.

"Getting out of that vehicle alone without my supervision left your back turned to danger. You could have died and I would not have been able to protect you because I was not there." Audrey noticed the slight choke around the end of his chiding. She ignored it for now.

"So I'd be dead. Damned. Would've thought that would be a relief for you, knowing I'm in Hell where I belong." She retorted, brushing off his concern as nothing more than mere selfishness on his own behalf. Just because she held use to him didn't mean he got to pretend that he cared a damn sliver about her well-being.

"No." Gabriel shocked her bluntly, though his expression remained blank. Audrey halted. What the Hell did that _mean_?

"_No_, what?" Her demand that he continue left Gabriel at a certain loss for words. He found them quickly, though, acting on sheer impulse.

"You would not have gone to Hell. You have been made pure again. You would have gone to Heaven."

Audrey scoffed in response, "even worse. At least the Devil's not a two-faced, self-righteous hypocrite."

"Bite your tongue." The archangel hissed. Still, his face remained without expression. But this time, the grip on his mace tightened considerably. The Anderson girl could already tell she'd struck a fine nerve.

"Or what, Gabriel? You'll kill me?" She held her hands up away from her body as though to say 'I'm right here'. "Do it. What have I got to live for anyway?"

"No." He said again, already knowing he could not be the one to end her. Before he had come to know her so well, he would probably still have the capability. But now, with their newly formed bond, he knew full well the effect it would have on him. Should she die, a part of his own Light would die as well. According to angels who's bonded humans had been killed before, the loss was... shattering, to say the least. Many of them were still in mourning even after hundreds of years of losing their humans.

"You never had a problem doing it once before. Kill me." She demanded again. Gabriel almost flinched from the memory.

"Silence, little human. You're only making a fool of yourself."

"He's nothing but a bastard who betrayed your trust and your faith, Gabriel."

"Stop it."

"Nothing more than a lying son of a bi-"

His strike was hard, but true. The force was enough to bring Audrey to her knees in tears, her hand jolting up to cover her bleeding lip. Gabriel did not stoop low to justify what he had done. He figured the action spoke louder than his words. She was speaking ill of the very deity who created him. He would not stand for such things.

"Do not speak so lowly of Him again." Audrey's eyes cast hatefully to him as she forced herself to her feet, shoving past him and not speaking a word. Gabriel caught her elbow just in time to stop her. His touch was gentler, however, turning her chin up to face him. The girl merely clenched her jaw, working it just to keep herself from breaking his nose; or at least attempting to. She saw a sliver of sorrow for his own actions, but ignored it.

Audrey made a disgusted face, wrenching herself from his grip. "What? You wanna heal it? Sweep it all under the rug and forget that _you_ were the one who butchered my lip?" She had pivoted on her heel to leave, but stalled and turned back to him. "You know what's funny about all of this? Before... I never hated you. You put us through a lot of bullshit, but I never hated you. Now I do. I can damn well see why you failed Him." Gabriel cast his eyes downward in immediate shame. Audrey scoffed and shook her head.

"Go to Hell, Gabriel."

It was then that she abandoned the archangel to his thoughts, going to join Dexter at the campfire.

**xxx**

Gabriel had remained away from the campfire until Audrey sought out a place to sleep. It was then that he had decided to take a seat across from Dexter and infiltrate the boy's mind with questions. The archangel would not allow a mere human male to travel with them unless he had good reason to know he was traveling with innocent intentions. Even if Audrey hated him beyond all redemption, he refused to leave her in the hands of someone clearly incapable of protecting her.

She was a part of him now. She was all he had.

"How long are you planning on traveling with Audrey?" Gabriel inquired, sitting completely still across from Dexter, who seemed to shift in his spot. Clearly, he did not like the seat he was in, after having made himself comfortable before... on the spot Gabriel had forced him to move from.

"I was only planning on traveling here. If she wants me to accompany her further, I've got no problem with it." The boy replied simply. Gabriel did not budge an inch.

"And your intentions?"

"Entirely platonic. I've no interest in coitus, if that's what you're implying. It all seems to be too... messy a process for my liking." Gabriel remained quiet, both men staring one another down for quite some time. "I'm curious." Dexter prodded. "Are you traveling with Audrey for _her_ protection? Or yours?"

"Both." The archangel replied simply.

"I see." He nodded slowly.

Another long pause ensued.

"Could I possibly take a look at your wings?"


	11. Chapter XI

**CHAPTER XI - Deep Into the Darkness, Peering...**

_Hello darkness, my old friend.  
><em>_I've come to talk with you again.  
><em>_Because a vision, softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping.  
><em>_And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains...  
><em>_within the sound of silence._

**"Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel**

Slipping into the darkness with naught but her trusty flashlight to protect her, Audrey Elizabeth Anderson found her way through the abandoned gift shop with nothing but the crunch of a bag of chips and a swish of a water bottle as company.

She had been smart enough to take along a large rucksack before she'd fully abandoned camp so she could gather more supplies while she was blowing off steam. She had discovered a few untouched medical kits that she knew would come in handy, as well as some decent snacks to keep her group's bellies full and a few interesting books from the wholesale shelves. Some were map books and the others were romance novels - her favorite.

... Okay, so she was a bit of a sap when it came to adventure, romance and a hate-to-eternal-love bond between two amazingly written characters. Sue her.

"Ugh, they're Karen Marie Moning, too..." She whispered longingly in triumph as she gazed upon the novels. Good ol' Highlander series. She could never get enough of her stormy-eyed, sizzling hot, tall, well-muscled and stubborn Highlander boys. The men in the pictures were what every woman desired for the perfect mate: strong in their values, challenging, charismatic, determined to fight for what was theirs and offered a love as eternal as God above... and, of course, rocking bodies.

Oddly, such pictures continuously brought her thoughts to the images that had been poured so randomly into her brain when she had been driving with Dexter to Calico. Now that she had those pictures, she couldn't help but wonder if Gabriel had been thinking the very same things. She wondered if they stirred the same emotions in him as they had terrifyingly done to her.

She could still see those fantasies clear in her mind. Audrey could still feel the lubrication that pooled between her thighs when she was driving. The AC no longer mattered. Her body had heated to the point where she was almost positive her veins would catch fire and melt her from the inside out. The image of him taking control, lifting her against her knowledge, slipping under her skirt and pushing into her without a sliver of regret or hesitation; a true rebellion. She could almost feel his touch on her in that moment. She could feel his breath on her skin, could feel his hands holding firm to her body as her breath hitched with each dive into her body.

She gulped hard, taking her lower lip between her teeth and hissing immediately from the fresh cut and bruise that lay beneath the pressure.

Apparently Audrey had also almost forgotten that the very archangel she was fantasizing about had stricken her merely hours before. Her fury returned to her heart and she frowned, forcing all of those lustful thoughts to the back of her mind and reminding herself to just forget it. How could she have even thought that Gabriel would be anything but a cruel, selfish angel? He was not capable of intimacy or love, especially not for the likes of her. He had proven that point rather well tonight.

Reaching up to touch the drying wound, she furrowed her brows in anger as she swept the backpack from her shoulders and stuffed her new books, chips and water into it, along with a new notebook and pen.

Maybe doing a little writing would help to ease her mind in such dark times.

Although, nothing really appeared to be that dark. Broken, perhaps, but nothing that couldn't easily be fixed. It was a new beginning for humanity and for her. Maybe everything would turn out for the better in the end. Perhaps, in that sense, not all was lost. But in a case like Audrey Anderson's, she had nothing but a fresh slate to look forward to and nobody to share it with. Her shoulders hunched in defeat. Yes, she had not deserved the strike Gabriel had given to her, but some of the things she'd said were pretty harsh. If someone had been so adamant about disturbing her opinions about her own parents, she probably would have laid a feeble punch into them as well.

In a sense, she couldn't really blame him.

She took up the spare medical kit that didn't fit into her backpack and continued on.

xxx

"Curious..." Dexter mentioned, peering closer at the wings as his eyebrows furrowed in fascination. "Seems your feathers are coated by a type of metal on the underside. More than likely an indestructible type. Very rare... I've never seen it before." Gabriel's wings fluttered in a fuss when they felt his breath heaving onto them. "They also seem to have a mind of their own. Very interesting."

"Am I to assume your fascination is over?" Gabriel inquired in frustration, trying to cancel out the images Audrey's bond had poured back into his mind. He very much wished to fly and get his mind off of the situation at hand, not be reminded of how odd he was to these humans by being analyzed.

"Not quite..." a loud grunt of genuine pain emitted from the archangel as Dexter's hand had reached out and mercilessly plucked a feather from its root, studying it in the light of the fire with a bewildered expression upon his face. "I'd like to run some tests..."

Gabriel shot him a harsh glare, having half a mind to reel back and throw a hard, almighty fist into the odd human's face. But instead, not wanting anymore confrontation from Audrey for the night, nodded and turned back to the fire. His eyes flashed between Dexter and the dancing flames as the scientist sat across from him and placed the angel feather into a Ziploc baggie he pulled from the pocket of his trousers.

"Audrey said that when she found you, you were praying to aliens." Gabriel stated rather plainly, his expression never changing. But his statement only made Dexter scoff.

"Ah, yes... she would say that. I was not praying to them. I was listening for them." He explained without looking at Gabriel, stuffing the stolen feather into his backpack after analyzing it a bit further and deciding his research was better left for the morrow.

Gabriel shifted slightly, casting his eyes back to the fire.

"How?"

xxx

_Audrey..._

At first, she had thought she'd heard Gabriel whispering to her. It felt as real as if he were standing next to her. Audrey cast her gaze around curiously, her expression growing almost hopeful.

_Anderson..._

The next voice sounded like a hiss.

No.

It sounded like a million voices, screaming, chanting and shouting from the darkest depths of another world. Immediately terrified of a ghost town being proven an actual ghost town, the young girl held up her flashlight to ensure that there was, indeed, nobody in the room with her.

Finding nothing only petrified her more.

She heard a rattle coming from elsewhere and she froze in complete and utter fright. She gulped hard and forced her fear back, beginning to search around the store until she reached the back office. She fumbled a moment for the light and once it came on, she breathed a sigh of relief to find nobody there.

Her eyes fell on a magnificent sight, however, when they moved over a sword collection the previous owner seemed to have a knack for. Audrey crossed over to the collection with excitement in her gaze and tugged at the knobs of the cabinet, which was locked. She huffed and used the medical kit she was carrying to bash in the glass, turning her face away from the burst of shards that seemed to come right at her intentionally. With her nerves completely raked over coals, it felt good, having weaponry right in front of her.

She had gone through a few of the blades, testing their weights and swinging a few around clumsily to get a feel for them. Once she found one she had a particular liking for, a katana, she strapped it to her back in its sheath and practiced removing it and sliding it back into place a few times, failing miserably nine-out-of-ten times. Frustrated with her lack of training, she picked up a few smaller daggers and hunting knives and two more swords for the boys, moving to head out of the creepy, most-likely-haunted gift shop once and for all.

_Whore of Babylon..._

She froze one last time at the voices, turning from the entrance and peering into the darkness of the shop. She almost could have sworn she had spotted a pair of red eyes watching her from the darkest depths of the abyss before her, which only made her hurry to escape and get back to camp, her freshly lit flashlight dangling on a string between her teeth as she struggled with her loot.

She tried to convince herself that she didn't hear a sinister chant of laughter echo from the depths of the shop as she hurried back to safety.

xxx

By the time she had reached the campsite, she was sweating heavily. Audrey dropped all of her newly discovered objects onto the sand and breathed a sigh of relief that she was finally going to be able to relax. But first, she wanted to ensure that she got a few things straight with Gabriel.

But as she turned her head upwards to the fire, she had found nobody. Still, she heard muffled voices in the distance. Brushing the sand off of her, she followed them towards the car with her flashlight in hand.

"I hear nothing." Came Gabriel's annoyed tone.

"Exactly. They don't want you to hear them."

"Does that not make the expedition fruitless?" Gabriel's curious voice inquired. Audrey gathered her bravery and exposed them in the beam of her flashlight, almost falling to her knees as the hilarious image presented itself.

There turned Gabriel and Dexter, the two most opposing characters in the world, facing her with tinfoil helmets and odd contraptions in their hands. Seeing a nerd like Dexter in a tinfoil hat was one thing... but seeing Gabriel in one almost made her crumble from laughing so hard. She keeled over at the waist, clutching her stomach as she tried to regain her composure.

Gabriel's face was even more priceless. He was confused by her reaction. Maybe he didn't think that he looked absolutely ridiculous in that damn thing or what, but he honestly seemed to have no clue as to why she was laughing. He and Dexter exchanged odd looks.

"Oh my God... hahahaaa!" Audrey wheezed out, stumbling back to the campfire and beginning to fish through her bag.

Gabriel followed.

"Why are you laughing." He demanded. Audrey only laughed harder, pulling out a Polaroid Instant Camera that she'd found and stocked up. She figured it would come in handy for whatever nice memories she'd want to keep in her head. She was right.

"J-just sit..." She managed through her fit of giggles, guiding him to take a seat on the log in front of the fire. She became very brave, tossing her arms over his shoulders and pressing her chest into his back as she brought the camera up in front of them, steadying her trembling fingers to take the picture... or... at least... trying to steady her hands. Once she'd stilled her giggles, she finally noticed his heavy breathing in being so close to her. Audrey froze. Her breasts had meshed into his armor, her chin was cuddled into the crook of his neck, her lithe frame was nestled intimately between his twitching wings and her breath was tickling his flesh.

Their eyes met. Locked. Both hearts stopped and skipped and fluttered with the tension that immediately arose between them. Audrey's breath hitched as it looked like he was leaning in closer. She was becoming very aware of their lips inching closer, the feel of his hot breath as it washed over her mouth. What petrified her more was that she wanted that mouth to slip just a little closer. Absentmindedly, her tongue roved over her bottom lip to ready herself to be kissed senseless...

Until that bubblegum pink muscle touched upon the wound on her mouth.

She thought quick, snapping the picture and using his momentary blindness to slip away before he could try anything that could totally jeopardize their journey and their rocky relationship. She forced a giggle as the picture printed and she began waving it around to make it develop quicker, taking a good couple of large steps away from him.

Gabriel immediately removed the tinfoil hat, glancing over to Dexter, who still seemed preoccupied with his experiments. First all those intimate thoughts came rushing into his mind in Audrey's absence... then, when he was finally forgetting them, she dared to get close enough to make them all come rushing back to him.

Damn his need to redeem her soul! With his 'filter' gone, he had almost lost control on two occasions and immediately began a new scenario in his mind from that brief moment alone. And how dare she find the nerve to press so close into him? How dare she take his picture to try and cover for her body heat seeping through his armor? And how dare she giggle like a giddy little schoolgirl and charm him with her newfound innocence that _he provided her_? Vile witch must have thought it some sort of clever trick. A cruel joke.

A darkness crept into his intense blue eyes as they turned on her again. Just to punish her, he narrowed his gaze on her cocky expression, forcing all of those images he'd conjured into her mind. A look of sickening triumph immediately washed over his face when her expression fell and her mouth gaped. Her eyes went wide in horror and she clutched her abdomen as the bond thickened. With the passion behind his small revenge, he seemed to do much more than simply make her see what he saw...

No, it was so much more.

Now she _felt_ it too.

She dropped the camera and the picture into the ground from the shock.

She _felt_ everything. Gabriel was laying no hand upon her, but the closer he stepped to her, the more she _felt_. Not only could she see his hands all over her, searching for what made her tick, but she _felt_ him laying her into the sand.

She felt the fantasy of him savoring the smooth feel of her skin as he slid her dress up her leg to expose her newfound purity. She heard him grumble that she was his into her ear as he ripped open the front of her oversized sundress and took her breast into his mouth, suckling hungrily and sending a tightening into her abdomen that forced her to grow terribly soaked with need to be filled by him... only _him_.

She reached up in reality to cover the very breast he was feeding on in her mind, as though trying to stop him from causing her such pleasure. This only pushed him to take a step closer, making wetness soak through her undergarments and almost begin to trickle down her legs from the intensity of each step. Instead, she wound up gripping her breast, massaging it lightly. Gabriel grew rock hard in an instant, almost giving into temptation right then and there.

He had truly snapped. Feeling all the things he did during their travels together and loathing each and every bit of said wants and emotions, Gabriel was unleashing his hatred. He was reminding her how feeble she was, how weak she was against him... how... _his_... she truly was. His unyielding eyes cast down to her, piercing blue hues admiring her state of hysteria as he noticed sweat forming in beads on her brow, slender spine and between her breasts.

He forced her to watch with her mind's eye as he licked the bittersweet little beads from her body before taking her mouth in a searing, bruising kiss and rubbing his sweet saliva into the skin of her chest. He made her watch her own body tremble in pure ecstasy as his thumb and forefinger toyed with the bud he'd been paying so much attention to, raking his nails along her stomach as he felt his own need growing harder to the point of incredible pain.

In his mind, she tasted wonderful. Like crisp watermelon and honeysuckle. Perhaps a light hint of sweat and vanilla. In his mind... _unf_... she tasted like an addiction. A habit he wouldn't be able to snap away from. In his fantasies, her skin was smooth and supple. Her breasts would thrust up to meet his mouth as he devoured her, perfect and round and... _what was he doing?_

_She'd moan for him._ He showed her that. She would _beg_ for him. He showed her that too.

But _God help him..._ her moans would be enough to make him break and spill his seed right there. And she would be _wet_... _so wet_.

Fear and excitement took hold and she crumbled to her knees, digging her fingers into the sand as her other hand clutched her abdomen, feeling his mouth switch breasts as his free hand guided his member over her sensitive bud through her underwear, but feeling so incredibly empty in knowing he was far away from her. He stepped closer, testing the boundaries and intensifying her acute senses to his touch. _His_ touch.

_Take her. _Another, more sinister voice cooed in the back of his mind as he closed the distance between them and knelt down next to her, his forced fantasy taking her into a full-on, vivid display of his inner desires. She almost screamed from the rush of pleasure, but she removed her hand from her breast and closed it over her mouth to muffle herself. Gabriel almost growled in want.

"Gabriel... stop..." she hissed when she finally lowered her hand.

Her own voice in their shared fantasy whispered opposite.

_Don't stop..._

"Gabriel! Stop!" She managed in a louder whimper, only feeling the fantasy becoming more pleasurably frantic. She was trying so hard not to let her hand delve between her legs and finish herself off. She had half a mind just to torture him more by doing it, but she had the feeling that she would regret it instantly after.

Her eyes fell on him finally. He was trembling like a foal, but his eyes were not on her own. If anything, they were fixated upon her hand, which was clutching her dress and rubbing the light fabric along her thigh to keep from touching herself.

_Take what's yours! _That sinister voice boomed, pushing him over the edge.

She felt that horrid fantasy of him pushing her drenched garment aside with the head of his member and sliding so easily _inside_, ripping her open and taking her sweet innocence, stuffing her full, hands groping and teeth nipping at her neck. She let out a low moan of desperation. Her hand finally delved to cup her sex over her sundress, trying to relieve some of the pressure. She saw Gabriel's jaw tense and clench from the sight, knowing it should have been _his_ hand causing such pleasure. As such, the images intensified to a frenzied lovemaking that she now knew only he could provide.

But just as he'd reached out to remove her hand and make that fantasy a reality...

"Guys!" The images vanished. Audrey's hand snapped away from her sex and gripped the sand as she tried to regain her breath. Gabriel's eyes snapped almost viciously to Dexter as he ran up to them with his tinfoil helmet almost flopping off his head. He reached up to steady it as he approached them swiftly. "I just received a signal!"

Both looked up at him, dazed.

"Do you realize what this means?!" He huffed out, looking on the verge of tears as he hyperventilated. "There is life out there after all! And who found it?! ME!" He raised his arms above his head in triumph, almost expecting cheers from his two-man crowd as he relished his moment. After a long pause, he lowered his arms. "Really? Both of you have no interest in this?" He shook his head and waved them off. "Figures, I get found by two of the most blank, dull minds in the history of mankind who wouldn't know the difference between protons and a ball pit at McDonald's Playground..."

A maniacal, demonic laugh echoed around the two, fading away swiftly. Audrey shuddered in fear before her eyes cast to Gabriel. His eyes seemed... almost apologetic, but his jaw was still tense and couldn't seem to find the courage for the words. Audrey's expression softened and she shook her head, knowing that whatever just happened was not intentional. She signified silently that whatever he wanted to say about what just happened... there was no need. He seemed to nod curtly, accepting her decision. There was another influence at work. Possibly the one he claimed to feel in the motel.

"Something dark is coming..." Gabriel murmured, knowing full well that whatever possessed him to do this to Audrey was not his own free will. Surely not his own. "We should discuss some things." He warned her, back to his usual stoic demeanor. As though the man who had crumbled her to the ground never existed inside him. "Tomorrow." He finalized, indicating that she needed rest.

Whatever this force was, it was toying with both of them. .

"Gabriel..." she began, licking her wounded lip absentmindedly as she cast her eyes downward. There was a long pause before she returned her gaze to him. "Would you ever... consider... teaching me how to use a sword?"

A/N: As you can tell, a few things in this chapter were inspired by a few reviews I received a while ago. Mainly the moments exchanged between Dexter and Gabriel. I just love how much comic relief that nerd provides.


	12. Chapter XII

A/N: So I've officially decided to take this fanfiction back up again. I'm going to try and post a new chapter at least once a week. My work schedule may conflict, as well as my weekends, but I don't intend on leaving anybody (if there's still anyone around reading this) hanging. I may only post once a week, depending on my muse, but I've got a set schedule for myself and hopefully the story won't begin to suck.

This chapter is, more or less, a bit of filler. Just to get my muse up and running for it again. I'm going to brainstorm a few ideas on my own time and see what I come up with in the meantime. The next chapter I post will (hopefully) be much more eventful. I hope you all enjoy my return. Please read and review with constructive criticism. No bashing, please and thanks. I just want to ensure that I am keeping to the character traits, since I'm a bit rusty.

Here goes nothing...

_I could corrupt you in a heartbeat. _

_You think you're so special - think you're so sweet._

_What are you trying?_

_Oh, don't even tempt me._

_Soon you'll be crying - _

_and wishing you dreamt me._

_You'd be calling out my name._

_When you need someone to blame._

**"Corrupt" by Depeche Mode.**

Two grueling weeks had passed since Gabriel's incident with Audrey. And oddly, the only thing that had made them grueling was the unrelenting heat they were forced to travel in. Of course, Audrey had almost choked Dexter a few times for waking her up in the middle of the night with his crazy experiments... and almost burning her hair off one time... but other than that, her interactions with Gabriel had been... almost nice.

Almost.

They had decided to take up shelter on holy ground - an abandoned church. Gabriel informed her that, though abandoned, no windows had been broken and the sanctuary was in nothing short of impeccable condition. No boundaries had been crossed here. He knew that at least nothing would attack them in their slumber. That was enough for Audrey to jump at the chance. And, much against her better judgment, Gabriel had forced Dexter to take the alter boy's old quarters and he had demanded that Audrey share the priest's room with him so he could keep guard on her.

Perhaps they had reached some form of understanding - a silent truce, of sorts. Gabriel had not really interacted in high conversation. It wasn't really in his nature to be anything but cold and distant, but that didn't mean he wasn't a bit more gentlemanly in his manners towards Audrey. Perhaps it was what he had done that night that made him feel guilty? Whatever the reason, Audrey hated to say it was almost enjoyable, training with him and being around him in general.

The day after the incident had taken place, Gabriel had approached her to talk about the forces around them. Audrey had refused to discuss anything even remotely related to that night for a week straight. She had felt incredibly violated and scared of her own reactions to Gabriel's seductive visions. Her body and mind had betrayed herself, but not her conscience. She knew that at least there was one part of her that wanted nothing to do with who she was before he'd saved her: her heart. During the second week, Audrey was a bit more open to the concept of discussion, but they were too busy setting themselves up in the church. Gabriel had not found the time, nor the courage to force her into conversation.

Until today.

"Audrey." Gabriel's low baritone caught her from the other side of the bedroom door as she put on the last of her clothing from the shower. There had been a small apartment above the church. Probably built by the priest. She was grateful for it. All the holy paraphernalia aside, it was nice to have something homely to call her own for now. Even if it was currently being shared with Gabriel. "Open the door. I must talk with you." He commanded in a softer tone.

Suffice to say, she knew that tone all too well.

She said nothing, crossing the threshold and wrapping her slender fingers around the knob. She paused. "Password." She demanded with a slowly-growing grin.

She heard nothing but silence.

"We do not have a password." He replied. Audrey laughed out and twisted the knob, prying the door open. "Perhaps we should make a password. I do not like the idea of you opening the door for just anybody."

She shrugged it off. "What did you wanna talk about?"

"What happened that night." He stated simply. He noted the girl's immediate stiffness and stepped inside. "Audrey, you cannot keep avoiding this subject. There are many important things you need to be aware of if you are ever to trust me again."

A scoff escaped her. "Gabriel, I never trusted you to begin with."

The comment was unintentional. Hell, she didn't even know what compelled her to say it. However, the moment she had finished hanging up her towel to dry, she had been faced by a stony expression and a pair of piercing blue eyes that held the deepest hurt she had ever seen.

"Shit, Gabriel, I -"

"No matter. Stop cursing." He shook it off. His eyes became blue steel yet again and he folded his arms over his chest. Emotionless once again. She envied that talent in him. "Even if you are not prepared to talk. I must at least confess some things to you before we begin our training for the day."

Sighing in defeat, Audrey took up a seat on the edge of her double bed, casting her eyes downward.

"Okay. Shoot."

There was a long pause drawn out between them. Audrey assumed Gabriel was trying to find the first thing to say about that night.

But really... what _was_ there to say?

"Audrey, have you been hearing voices?" The question was definitely not one she had expected. Her eyes darted to the archangel's and her spine stiffened and straightened. Fear was more than apparent in her gaze once it locked upon his. How the hell did he know? "I have been hearing them too."

A lump hitched in her throat, altering her breathing before she dared herself to ask. "Do they... do they belong to who I think they belong to?"

"My cousin. The fallen one." He confirmed. Audrey shook her head, burying her face in her palms. "Apparently, Lucifer has taken it upon himself to steal Earth away while the Savior has not been baptized. Until he has, Earth will be much easier to take over. Right now, this world... this realm is Godless."

"How do you know Charlie and Jeep haven't baptized him yet?"

"I would know it. I would feel it." He replied stiffly.

_Feel it_. Audrey's mind repeated those two words a few times. He did feel. It had been written all over his face that night at the campfire. The lone Anderson girl almost didn't want to admit that she'd seen a flicker of emotion break his stony demeanor, but she had.

"So what would he want with you and I, then?" She inquired, giving him an honest, bewildered look.

"I have been banished. My innocence has been tainted..." Audrey visibly winced, "I am under the assumption he sees me corruptible."

"But you're not." Audrey said firmly, as if trying to convince herself. Gabriel visibly stiffened, his pride taking control of his words as his eyes faltered.

But he _was_. Especially when it came to Audrey. Even during their training, he would have to stop himself from those horrible images of taking her if he so much as had to correct her stance. He knew she felt it too - that heat... that electricity that sizzled and cracked between them. It only made him go harder on her in training to the point where she could barely stand by the end of it. It was his way of punishing her and himself for the effect she had on him.

Much to his dismay, her body was only getting firmer and more toned because of him, which only made her all the more tempting in his eyes. The image of a girl like Audrey Anderson becoming such a strong young woman... it aroused him more than he could bear.

"But I'm not." He confirmed with a tight nod. His wings fluttered in annoyance before his arms fell from his chest and he crossed the threshold to stand before her. He watched her back straighten more. He kept at a comfortable distance to reassure her he meant no harm. "I expect that whatever compelled me to make you feel what you felt that night was my cousin's influence. I had not expected he would be there. But apparently he had followed you. He took hold when I least expected."

"So you _are _corruptible." Audrey scoffed out, catching Gabriel's attention.

"I'll not harm you again. You have my word." He assured her.

"But you..." She stopped herself before she could continue. She caught him looking at her expectantly. She shook her head.

Gabriel nodded, not wishing to press further. "Meet with me in the basement. Our training will begin."

"'Kay." She replied as he fled the room and shut the door courteously behind him.

He _hadn't_ hurt her. That was probably what scared her the most. In fact, he had made her twist and bend in pleasure in ways no man had ever accomplished before. Audrey had been with a few boys, but none of them ever quite measured up to that of a celestial being like Gabriel. They were all jerks. He was an angel of strict code and order. And when she had felt him put his hands on her... it was like she was a whole new woman. A _woman_. Not a girl. Now, with her restored body, hymen and heightened senses, she felt everything he did to her tenfold. She felt... pure under his touch.

No. He hadn't hurt her.

He had succeeded in making her feel more alive than ever.

xxx

"Do not fear your weakness, Audrey!" Gabriel's voice boomed as she was flipped away. Another failed attempt. Two weeks at this and she was hardly getting anywhere with her training. She was only growing more and more furious with it. "You cannot keep second-guessing your actions. You must trust in them with everything you possess."

"Well, it's a bit hard not to when you're making me correct everything I do." She tossed aside the practice sword Gabriel had fashioned out of one of the benches in the church and sat down, shoving her back against the wall. Sweat dripped from almost every part of her body. She wiped her brow in annoyance with the back of her hand. Gabriel handed her a bottle of water, which she took up gratefully. "Thanks." She took a few long, greedy gulps. "How the hell am I gonna be able to defend myself? I can't fight against you, Gabe."

"The point you continuously miss is that you cannot defeat me. So do not try. But... you _can_ dodge me. You can outrun me and you can get away from me. Those are the things you must trust in." He assured her, offering her a hand up. "God's Creations can be harmed by mortal objects, but we will not die from them." Audrey took his hand. Both ignored the jolts that coursed through their flesh at the touch.

"So... the point of all this is -"

"To be sly; quick. You're light and slim. You could wiggle out of any hold if you wished it. I do not wish to see how you _attack_, but how you _avoid_. If you can be quick enough to dodge every blow and get close enough to deliver a deadly strike and get away in seconds, I'll know I've done my job well. I want to see you use your form to your advantage. Do not act like you are bigger than you truly are. Accept it. Use it." His expression never faltered, filling her with a tougher conviction. She straightened her back, preparing herself for the next brawl.

"Okay..." she stole another sip of water before placing it in the corner of the room. "Let's do this." She readied her wooden sword and Gabriel rounded her, studying her stance and correcting certain parts. She almost felt those intimate images before they even reached her mind. "Don't start." She warned, casting her eyes to him dangerously.

"Stop me." He challenged, a hint of mischief flickering over his eyes behind his cold, blank face. Audrey felt that electricity give her a bit more determination and energy and she squared her shoulders, now battle-ready.

"Ladies first." She teased, a Cheshire grin forming upon her lips.

xxx

"Brother." Michael's voice hummed from afar. "I am pleased to see you are well." He announced as he walked stiffly between the rows of benches surrounding the stage and pier in the large sermon room. "I am assuming you have brought me here for news of your progress with Him?" He stood beside his brother, crossing himself before the manmade statue of Jesus Christ on the cross.

"Nay, Michael." The answer shocked even Gabriel himself. News on his progress was not what concerned him now. "Our cousin is causing mischief on this plane."

"Yes, so I've gathered. We could not expect him to avoid taking the opportunity when it presented itself, could we?" Gabriel didn't turn to face Michael just yet. He was too busy staring intently upon the statue, as if deep in his own prayer. "Father has been hearing you, my brother. He knows of your turmoil."

"I understand." Gabriel turned to him finally, folding his arms over his chest. "Why would Lucifer be so adamant to take this Earth, with what little value it holds to our Father right now?" Changing the subject only shocked Michael more. Gabriel's priorities were switching, transforming into something entirely his own.

Perhaps Audrey's affect had been greater than expected. Good.

"Because he knows that in time, Earth will reign supreme in our Father's eyes once again. He wants to ensure he's in control when it does. Once the child is baptized, Lucifer will have no use for this world again." He sighed, beginning to walk around the room and admire the glass artwork in the windows.

"You and I both know what Lucifer's plans for humanity would entail." Gabriel warned gravely as he watched his brother. Michael seemed to let out a low "hm" of vague interest.

"He always had loved God before humanity. His resentment caused his downfall." Michael said, never taking his eyes off the artwork.

"You and I are both painfully aware that's not the case, brother. His resentment for humanity was entirely Eve's doing. She damned humanity. Because of that, Lucifer fell-"

"Lucifer was in love with Eve, Gabriel. When she took that bite from the apple, do you not think her damnation took its toll on our cousin? He hated humanity after that. So easily corrupted." Gabriel winced in response to Michael's conviction, turning his gaze away. "I know you gave a part of your purity to save Audrey." He announced finally, catching his brother's stern gaze. "I am sorry you had to do such a thing."

Gabriel only seemed to freeze. His eyes hardened and his chest puffed out stubbornly. Audrey... he had given almost everything to save her life. Only to be tortured by these images... these tantalizing fantasies.

"You are connected with her, Gabriel. You understand how rare that is for our kind." Michael's voice ripped Gabriel from his thoughts. He cast his eyes downwards. Michael grinned. "Our brothers and cousins have always been so fickle about love. For such Heavenly bodies, we have seen and caused more sin than this realm alone."

"Michael." Gabriel spoke firmly.

"You know it is not sinful. What you feel for Audrey is natural. You are one." His brother spoke wisely. "You would not be damned."

"I know that, Michael." Gabriel spat out venomously. "I wish not to speak of Audrey."

"Has something happened?" Michael pressed. Gabriel bit his tongue for a moment, then shook his head. His brother sighed heavily in knowing he was being lied to. "Very well. When you are ready to speak, summon me. If you do find anything of our cousin that you deem futile -"

"I will summon you."

"Take care, brother." Michael said, placing a hand upon his brother's shoulder. Gabriel closed his eyes and stole a deep sigh.

And with that, he left the church.

"Any news?" A voice inquired as Michae rejoined his presence once again.

"He is changing for the better, Uriel. But let us leave him to his thoughts. We have a cousin to look into."


	13. Chapter XIII

**CHAPTER XIII - Viva La Vita.**

_God is a concept by which we measure our pain.  
><em>_I don't believe in Jesus.  
><em>_I don't believe in kings.  
><em>_I don't believe in Beatles.  
><em>_I just believe in me._

**"God" by John Lennon**

"Gabriel?" Audrey recalled the immediate tug that forced her awake. She had been going almost insane with paranoia. Since their arrival at the church, the voices had vanished for almost a month, only ever reappearing in her mind when she abandoned holy ground. The last time she had managed to slip onto the outskirts of the church grounds to gather a few things from the nearby, overgrowing garden when Gabriel was out hunting, they had grown so loud with rage that Audrey almost went dizzy and passed out from the deafening sound. Had Gabriel not been there to help her, she was sure she would've wound up someplace far more terrible than her own bed.

But there was something worse that encased her now. Something that reminded her so much of the night she had been left for dead. Or when she, Charlie and Jeep were ferrying the child from Paradise Falls.

Silence.

Usually Gabriel would respond immediately upon her call. He never slept and he always stood outside her door, monitoring her dreams from afar to ensure that Lucifer was not practicing his craft on her 'feeble' mind. According to the Messenger, her lack of _faith_ in God could still lead to her own destruction. According to Audrey, her skepticism is what kept her alive for this long.

"Gabriel." She tried again, her tone more stern as she froze in the blackness of her bedroom. There was no light anywhere. Usually there was at least a sliver from the hallway lanterns Gabriel would always ignite, just in case they needed to find their way through the hallways in the church. Despite the heat, goosebumps formed on her skin. Her breath caught in her throat and a shiver raked along her spine when she realized there was a possibility that she was truly alone. "Gabriel!" She cried out into the darkness. Her voice cracked and squeaked in slight fear when she called out again, fumbling for the katana she hid beneath the mattress.

Once she took up the trusted weapon, she held the sheath tightly with one inexperienced hand, the handle in the other. Just in case things got a little... dicy.

Bad pun, she mused as she reached over to her lamp and flicked the switch to turn it on.

She breathed a sigh of relief when it illuminated the empty room and flung the sheets from her bed, thankful that nothing horrifying was lying in wait deep in the shadows for her to rouse. A simple black mens tee and a pair of boy-shorts panties probably wouldn't protect her well, but at this point... she really didn't care. She bravely crossed the threshold of her room and released the handle of her blade, allowing that same hand to take hold of the doorknob and turn it slowly.

The crash heard from below, along with the blatant sounds of struggles were what caused Audrey to break into action.

"Gabriel!" She shouted as a rush of courage took hold of her fear and stomped it out of her heart. Bravery forced her through the blinding darkness and she bolted through the well-known corridors of the sanctuary before entering the sermon room, which was thankfully illuminated.

All she could see was vague flashes of a battle. A figure cloaked in black and Gabriel going through thorough trials of fists, brain and brawn. The cloaked figure was thin, light and swift on their feet. Much like Gabriel had always tried to teach Audrey to be.

She thought twice about entering the battlefield when she realized there was a possibility of both fighting forms were of Holy descent. She watched from afar, worry seizing her heart and before she could stop herself when Gabriel had almost been sliced open, she shouted.

"Gabriel!" She called out once he had the figure pinned with his spare sword (that Audrey had taken from Calico) at the ready to kill and maim. His attention immediately flashed to his bonded human, sparing his opponent a moment of weakness. He was soon taken to the ground and the attacked held a sacred-looking blade to his throat. Knives-to-throats on both ends, the pair of duelers found themselves in a stalemate.

But Gabriel seemed to freeze upon seeing the blade, his form going rigid.

"It can't be." He breathed as his jaw tensed. The figure derailed from their attack position and removed their hood as they straightened stiffly, revealing a head of long, silken black hair and piercing blue eyes. "Vita." His realization caused him to immediately sheath his sword as he collected himself to his feet, never taking his eyes off of her once.

"I am not here to harm you, Gabriel." The voice was... melodic and sweet. It was an otherworldly tone that Audrey had never heard before. It was almost like a hymn to her ears, something that could lull her into the kindest dreams.

"Uh... hello?" Audrey finally found her voice as she stepped forward, the baggy, large mens tee sashaying around her thighs as she pressed forth. The Heavenly being who turned to face her was even more beautiful than anything Audrey could imagine. Luscious raven curls, beautiful and silken complexion, piercing blue eyes and pouted lips. Her face looked like... _life_. There was a glow about her that emanated complete purity and serenity. She was definitely out of Gabriel's league. Probably much higher in the Spheres' chain of command. Maybe a Virtue? Wow. "Who... who are you?"

"My name is Vita." She replied, bowing her head slightly. She saw Gabriel stiffen even more.

She'd deal with that later.

"What are... what _are_ you?" Audrey shook her head in confusion.

"I am one of the two Powers in Heaven." She replied. The young Anderson girl almost wanted to weep from the sheer beauty of simply hearing the angel _speak_. She was captivating, radiating holy light and serenity. Audrey almost felt the need to crumble at the angel's feet. "I was sent to Earth to take on disguise as a Prophet for a short time."

"Jeep and Charlie." Audrey almost wheezed, remembering what Michael had said to her before about Prophets. Were they okay? Did they get what they needed? "Did-"

"They live. The child is well. I spoke to Michael earlier today." Gabriel cut in reassurance as he crossed the room to stand beside Audrey. Half of his form blocked Audrey from Vita's sight as he interrupted the conversation to get to more pressing matters. "What brings you here, Vita? Should you not be with the child?"

"I merely pointed them in the right direction. I was the first Prophet they were to face." She studied Gabriel's harsh demeanor and offered a small smile. "Gabriel? Are you not going to introduce me to your _bonded_?"

"She needs not know you. You will not be staying long." He assured her. Vita seemed hurt by the statement, but she shrugged it off and continued on trying to plead her case.

"Ever the unforgiving, brother." She shook her head. "You recall our trials with the Father."

"Futile, it seemed, He still brought you back after you agreed to Prophecy." Gabriel snapped, side-stepping closer to Audrey as means to shield her from whatever wrath this Power had to offer. Vita frowned.

"Gabriel, let us not forget who betrayed whom. I bring you news of our cousin and I wish to meet your _bonded_. I wish to make amends with you."

"I know of Lucifer's intent." The Messenger shot back, stiffening his shoulders in pride.

"Our Father has also given me word to pass on to you. He wishes to give you a test." Upon this, Gabriel fell completely silent, clenching his jaw as though he already knew what this test would entail. He blocked Audrey off a bit more with his body, trying to stop her from admiring the beauty of such a Power. It was more dangerous than she thought, apparently, if he was that adamant about protecting her from a woman who seemed so holy.

"What is the test?"

Silence was thick, almost choking Audrey as she pressed forth to try and hear the angel's beautiful voice better. It was so weird... like she'd been thrust under the woman's holy spell. She held no doubt it was the same for every human who encountered her.

"Me."

**xxx**

"So... there are only two Powers in Heaven?" Audrey inquired, her pen tapping against the half-filled page of her notebook. She hadn't dared to write any journal entries yet, for fear of what the _new_ 'her' would be like. But she had taken it upon herself to write down what she remembered about Michael's conversation with her so she could better understand Heaven and Hell. Maybe the knowledge of both would strengthen her enough to face them when the time was right.

Vita seemed to be more willing to explain than Gabriel at the moment.

For now, he was sitting at the end of the table in the kitchen, situated backwards on one of the chairs and folding his large arms over the support as he glared viciously at Vita. Audrey could tell he couldn't wait to get out of the room, but she also knew he wouldn't want her... what had he said? Oh yes: _poisoning her mind with impure thoughts_.

Vita hardly seemed like the type to poison anybody or anything, even with words.

"Yes. Myself and my brother, Obitus." She replied with an elegant incline of her head. She paused for a moment, admiring Audrey's own beauty for a moment before reaching out to tuck a curl behind her ear. "You truly are a beautiful human, Audrey. I am not surprised Gabriel _bonded_ himself to you when given the chance." She stated, targeting Gabriel with her words once a hard blush had taken over Audrey's cheeks.. "She's wonderful, brother. You have my congratulations."

"So... what do you do?" Audrey interjected when she knew that Gabriel had opened his mouth to retort with a very rude comment. Changing the subject would probably be best to avoid the thick tension between the two Heavenly bodies.

"Our main duties are to keep the proper balance on Earth. We also fight to ensure that evil will never encase this world. As do all angels." Vita's captivating eyes cast over to Gabriel for a moment before dragging back to Audrey. "But in shorter detail, my personal duties entail ferrying the souls of the unborn into wombs of new mothers. I whisper to them the secrets of the Heavens, then I press here..." she drew her forefinger to the incredibly tiny valley between the bottom of Audrey's little nose and her upper lip. "That is how you obtained this. I silenced you. So you would forever know God's love only in your heart."

When Vita's finger left Audrey's lips, the Anderson girl softened her gaze greatly.

"What about your brother, Obitus? Is he... actually your brother?" She asked when she finally found her voice.

"I suppose he is better known as Death. In Heaven, we presume to call one another _brother, sister _and _cousin_ due to the truth that we are all from the same Creator. However, none of us are related by blood. But we _are_ in almost every sense, a family." She replied shortly, studying the human's face curiously as she drank in her current, exhausted state. Her beautiful mouth thinned in concern. "Have you been sleeping well, child?"

"Uhm... I was woken up-"

"Say no more." Vita held up her hand to still Audrey's speech. "I awoke you with my entrance. You should be off to bed. I apologize for my late intrusion."

Audrey hesitated. She wanted to know _more_. "But, I-"

"Do not worry. I will be here for you to pester with questions in the morning." She assured her. The lone Anderson nodded hesitantly before pushing herself up from the seat and taking one last glance at Gabriel (who's eyes lingered on her own a moment before drifting to her exposed legs) and gaining a very intimate image of them before making herself scarce. "Your eyes linger in longing. You've not _bonded_ with her fully, have you?"

Vita's naturally soothing voice tugged Gabriel from his reverie and he snapped his eyes to her own. She offered a kind smile. He almost cursed her ten ways to Sunday Mass in return for her sinful remark. Of course he had not completed his bond with her. It would mean something that he knew Audrey held no interest or belief in. It also meant he would be forced to face his true feelings for the girl; something he was not prepared to do. Ever.

"Does Michael know you are here?" He inquired, his gaze completely blank. Vita shook her head.

"Father has not even informed him of my return. He will know when the time is right." She replied.

"What is my test, Vita? It cannot be with you." He seethed through gritted teeth in order to change the subject. In his eyes, Vita was not worthy of discussing Audrey to him. "He knows our history." Hell, she was barely fit to speak God's name, let alone become one with the Spheres again.

"He knows the _truth_. You lied to Him, Gabriel. Your test... _our_ test... is forgiveness."

Gabriel stiffened in his own defense. "I've nothing to be forgiven for. _You_ betrayed me in Lucifer's realm. _You_ almost made our troops fall. The blame was not on me. I know what I witnessed." His words were like fire, searing through her being. Vita did not lose her cool, but she became perfectly stoic and hard in an instant as he passed his blame onto her.

"You know what you _saw_, brother. You did not know my intent."

"And I'll not hear it now. It is best you leave before I cut off your wings again." He noted her beloved extremities fluttering in nervousness. It was a very good thing she was still afraid of him.

"I am not leaving, Gabriel." Perhaps she was not as fearful as she once was. "I have not only been sent here to be tested, but to keep the balance. Lucifer will not attack if he knows I am here. You know my command to keep balance. This is me keeping it."

"Very well. Protect Audrey, if you are under the impression that I cannot." He seethed as he pushed himself up from his chair. "At least you have finally found proper use for your talents." He finalized as he left her to her thoughts.

But on his path up the stairs to take guard just outside Audrey's room, his mind couldn't help but draw lazily through those things of the past. He remembered Vita's banishment as ripely as he remembered his own. He couldn't help but know she was right. He had been foolish to attempt degrading her name.

_"You'll do well to silence yourself, brother. Lest you incriminate yourself." Gabriel scathed knowingly over the steaming potholes that exploded smoke and fire around them now and again. It had been his first opportunity in commanding God's armies on his own to keep Lucifer at bay from Earth yet again, centuries before the Savior was even thought of... when God still held faith in humanity. He knew God's word and he also knew better than to let Michael take the lead when he was not meant to. Gabriel knew he would not fail Him as his brother had so many times. _

_"I happen to agree with Michael, Gabriel." Vita's voice sounded as she moved to stand by the _new _Commander, ignoring Obitus' look of disapproval. "We should not simply barge through the very Gates of Hell. You know the trap that could lay beyond. And we would be under Lucifer's reign. The Princes could be waiting. It's too risky." She finalized. Gabriel shot her an almost childish glare. _

_"I'll not take on your words of advice either, Vita." He retorted, causing his sister to shake her head in annoyance before her mouth clamped shut. At least she knew better than Michael, who had given her a look of longing and reached out to close his hand over her shoulder and guide her back to his side. "We move now." He motioned for the troops to move ahead as planned. _

_Vita and Michael, on the other hand, had different plans..._

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, I'm gonna do a little bit of a role call. I may or may not come back to this chapter and edit a few things. But until then, it's good to go.

"Audrey Anderson" played by the gorgeous Willa Holland.

"Gabriel" played by the hot and talented Kevin Durand.

"Michael" played by the handsome Paul Bettany

"Dexter Paragrim" played by the hilarious and adorable Jim Parsons.

"Vita" played by the beautiful Adriana Lima.

"Uriel" played by Matt Damon

The list shall grow. For now, I need to stick to rounding the characters I have.

Review time!


	14. Chapter XIV

**CHAPTER XIV**

_Funny, you're the _broken_ one -  
><em>_But I'm the only one who needed _**_saving_**_.  
><em>_'Cause when you __never__ see the _light_,  
><em>_it's _**_hard_**_ to know __which __one__ of us is _caving_.  
><em>_Not really sure how I _**_feel_**_ about it.  
><em>_Something in the way you _move_...  
><em>_makes me _**_feel_**_ like I _**can't**_ live _without_ you.  
><em>_It takes me all the way.  
><em>_I want you to _**s t a y**_._

**"Stay" by Rihanna**

"So what's the deal with your voice? You sound so..."

"Heavenly?" Vita filled in, offering a humorous smile. The Anderson child chuckled to herself and nodded. "Fitting, I know. Being what I am, to have to whisper the very secrets - the _truth_ - of God's love for humanity. To speak on behalf of Him is an honor. I am dealing with newborn souls. My voice was meant to be a sort of lullaby to them." She paused, unsure of how else to explain it. "I am told I have the most beautiful voice in all the Spheres."

Audrey was damn unrelenting. The very next day, she had awoken bright and early, welcoming Vita for breakfast as Dexter fawned over the new pair of wings in his presence. As well as the heavenly glow she emitted. He was now even pressing to take a vial of blood for his own future study, as he had with Gabriel, who blatantly refused. Audrey was peppering her with annoyingly intellectual questions as she made everyone something to eat. Though Gabriel never _needed_ to eat, he would always know what a good cook she was merely from smelling whatever she was making the moment he entered the kitchen.

"Wow. That must be a perk." The human girl replied as she readied two mugs for the kettle.

"Mm-hm. And an added bonus: to the Fallen, my voice is nails on a chalkboard. Very beneficial in battle." Vita nodded firmly. But even firmly, her neck dipped gracefully and her silken tendrils fell into her face, then almost obediently dipped back to frame her beauty perfectly.

But Audrey hardly noticed. Her curiosity was getting the better of her and questions were reeling in her mind. What was Gabriel's test? What happened all that time ago that Gabriel had to stiffen and warn Audrey against Vita? What had Vita done to gain such a sour spot in Gabriel's heart? Where were Jeep and Charlie to go with the child and why wasn't Vita going with them?

"So... what were you talking about when you mentioned meeting Gabriel's _bonded_ last night? Is that, like, an angel term for an angel that takes on a human charge?" Audrey inquired as she stirred her cup of instant coffee, putting the powdered milk into it, along with her sugar. She took a sip to test the sweetness. _Too bitter_, she mused as she put in a few more spoonfuls. She noted Vita's slight change in demeanor as she offered her an unsure smile, her eyes flashing between the archangel shadowing the doorframe and his human.

"I believe that is for Gabriel to inform you. _Bondeds_ are a bit more complicated than a simple human charge." She replied, nodding to Gabriel's stone sour expression before taking a small sip of her own coffee. "I've always loved coffee. Though it holds no effect on me, I always found it... very warming and comforting."

Audrey considered the Power's words carefully as she set the powdered milk and sugar on the table for the both of them, knowing full well that she was delving through so many memories just sitting there stirring the sugar further into the steaming cup. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when all of those _good _recollections seeped into her mind, reminding her of what was meant to be remembered - what was _meant_ to be cherished.

Even though she had once been living in sin... not everything was all that bad. There were times when Audrey had felt... at peace. Happy. She clung to those moments. In times like these, happy memories like sitting around a kitchen table, discussing trivial things over a fresh cup of coffee were few and far between.

"Coffee is... it's more than just a beverage to me now." Anderson explained as she stared off into the bittersweet liquid swirling in her mug. Hardly noticing Gabriel's silent gaze as she continued, "I drink it to wake up, to focus, to start my day... my dad and I used to drink it on weekends when we were reading the paper and bitching about how our favorite sports team lost _again_. I drank it when I was with friends, talking about little life issues I knew I couldn't work out by myself. It's... it's more than just coffee now. It's a _hug_. A little reminder that my life before this wasn't all that horrible. It's my happy memory."

When she finally met Vita's eyes, she found the Power beaming a bright, beautiful, captivating smile in response to her reverie. The raven-haired, glowing angel reached across and closed her hand over Audrey's, giving it a loving squeeze.

"I remember you, you know." She spoke softly. "I remember your _soul_." Audrey seemed taken aback. Vita continued. "My brother spoke so highly of one he had planned to ferry in my absence. He had brought me to watch as he implanted your entity in your mother's womb. You were so strong. So brave." It looked like tears were welling in her eyes. "You had such a beautiful heart. Such a free spirit. Uninhibited. Filled with a passion for life unparalleled by anyone I'd ever seen." She admired Audrey for a moment before withdrawing her hand and seeking the warmth of her mug again. "Obitus should meet you. He would be so proud of his work."

A hard blush tainted her cheeks and Vita glanced between Gabriel's hard glare and his _bonded_. She took her mug and gracefully stood on her own two feet, almost hating that she was being forced to leave the room due to her brother's seething hatred for her. Audrey was a fascination to her. She wished to know her better.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave and familiarize myself with the grounds. I want to see just how far along Lucifer has come in attempting to break through the natural shield of this sanctuary. We will continue this talk when I return." She held up her mug as if to cheers Audrey, who had adjusted the loose-fitted, white sundress on her upper body shyly. "Hopefully over another cup of coffee."

"Give me the word and I'll start the kettle." Anderson replied with a bright smile as she brushed her curly tresses from her eyes.

Vita exited silently, as if carried from the building on a cloud. Audrey finally met Gabriel's eyes, which shifted uncomfortably and he cleared his throat, turning his back to her and planning on fleeting the room. Audrey almost stood right up to stop him. But she knew better than to dare reaching out. Them being alone in a room, even at this proximity was dangerous. They could snap. She understood that now.

He paused when he heard her shift, glancing back to her curiously. Audrey thought quickly as she cleared her throat.

"Uh... I need you to make a quick run into town for me. Can you do that?" She asked, offering an uneasy smile. Gabriel's lips thinned in response, but his curt nod was enough for her. "Okay. I'll, uh... draw up the list for you." She concluded, feeling immediately silly for gaining even the slightest inkling that she could convince him to stay and converse with her.

In all the time they'd spent together on their journey, Audrey was swiftly coming to the vast conclusion that she knew so little about him. It seemed unfair, really, given that he knew everything about her.

She pushed the chair she was seated in away from the table with the backs of her knees, withdrawing her gaze from the archangel for the smallest millisecond as she crossed to the counter to set away her coffee cup. Only a moment she had looked away from those piercing oceanic hues... and when she turned back, they had vanished from sight, leaving behind only ghosts of them in her mind.

A heavy sigh bled from her lips while a shiver raked through her spine, forcing her keen senses to heighten and hone in on the breeze picking up outside. The shutters shuddered in response, forcing the young Anderson girl to cross over the threshold of the room and slam them shut quickly.

The shutter lock slid into place and hasty steps drew the girl's form in retreat as her eyes grew wide and her arms moved around to hug her torso for false comfort.

Something was trying to get in the church. Something not very nice.

**xxx**

"Brilliant." Vita quoted with a charming smile as her gaze fell upon Dexter's clueless expression while the glorious Power doted over his contraption. "And you say you heard them communicating? How wondrous." Her smile grew, captivating and tranquil. Dexter merely remained under her spell, offering a dumb grin in response. "You truly are a magnificent mind, Dexter. I marvel in my brother's talent."

"Th-thank you." He replied, clearing his throat when he heard the double doors of the church swing open. He cast his gaze from the beautiful Power in the front walkway to the entrance of the sanctuary, where the intimidating archangel now encompassed majority of the archway. "Gabriel! Vita likes my invention!" He said, his voice almost quivering with excitement.

"She likes many useless human contraptions." Gabriel replied curtly, almost feeling somewhat guilty for being so cold towards the brilliant genius' mind. Still, he was in no mood to dabble in joy, especially with Vita looming over his shoulder at every turn. If anything, she only made his process of self-discovery more complicated. She was not a test. She was an obstacle.

"Are you going somewhere?" Vita inquired. Gabriel nodded in response. After a long pause, she offered, "may I accompany you?"

"I would rather you remain here, Vita. Your powers are stronger on holy ground. I do not wish for the humans to be left alone." He watched as the angel's face fell. A sick sense of pride seeped into his heart. Ah, pettiness, thou art a heartless bitch. His wings ruffled in delight, though his expression hardly changed as he shut the church doors and continued along the steps.

It was not long before he took to the skies, leaving behind a collection of billowing dust in his wake.

Vita watched for a moment before returning her gaze to Dexter.

"Show me a demonstration of this quickly." She encouraged. In the few minutes it would take for Dexter to perform his demonstration, she would have just enough time to catch up with Gabriel.

If she knew Lucifer as well as she thought she did, he would try to take the fallen angel for himself the moment he was off holy grounds. Vita refused to allow her brethren to fall for such foolish tricks.

Gabriel would be protected. Whether he liked it or not.

**xxx**

A/N: I suppose this is a bit of filler. Again. But I recently got a review that sort of tingled my funny bone, so I couldn't continue this story until I got this out of my system.

"are vita and michael lovers? wow.. how inaccurate..

I mean your writing is sophisticated and beautiful and you're an amazing author.. but distorting images of divine creatures could get you in trouble.. these are significant characters in Catholic beliefs..

i know this is only a fanfic.. and a very great extraordinary one might i add..

but i just disagree with the whole thing about angels indulging in human acts.."

Oooookie dokie.

Are you trying to tell me you DIDN'T just go on to look up a FANFICTION about a MOVIE that DISTORTS DIVINE CREATURES?

Seriously? SERIOUSLY.

I strongly suggest you check out my girls, saichick and GypsyWitchBaby. They've got their own AMAZING "distortions" going on. Maybe you'll like those a little better. Teehee. I honestly love you two ladies.

Seriously. I can't tell you how hard I'm laughing right now.

I normally don't respond to reviews. Everybody has their opinion and I get that.

Here's mine.

It's. A. Fan-Fiction. You said so yourself, lady. Don't like the things I write or what I insinuate? Fine. Nobody forced you to read this. YOU clicked on the link. YOU read through the chapters. From what you told me? YOU were moved enough to review.

That's my purpose when I write: to move people. Not for my twists on facts or fiction to be taken seriously. Lighten up and get over yourself.

But before you do, I'mma fill you in on MY side of the story.

First: Vita isn't a character in the Bible. I made her up. A long time ago. Believe it or not, I was raised a Christian and I became Agnostic by choice, so I've had my fair share of different experiences with religion, so I don't need no preacher. I didn't say that her and Michael were lovers, did I? However, if you wanna get into a spoiler alert, I was planning on having them strike up a sort of romance. But that's just how I roll, letting angels get on with their bad selves. What a horrible FICTION WRITER I am. **[ / sarcasm ]**

Second: I'm leading up to my own CREATIVE points in the Bible, which will come later on in this fanfiction. Need I mention all the books and films that twist God in their own way for no other purpose than entertainment? Not to mention all the articles I've read on the internet that offer various different ideologies on Catholicism alone. Yes. I've done a bit of homework. Shocking, isn't it?

It's called a creative license. Look it up. This is a FAN-FICTION and I don't know how many times I need to say that. As in: I'm a FAN writing FICTION. Are you trying to tell me you believe in a legendary plot like Michael coming to earth to protect humanity from God himself? No. It's a movie, don't get all hot-headed and self-righteous about it. What, did you look up fanfictions in this category on the site to see if anybody posted a penance? Maybe a a few 'Hail Mary's or sermons? No. You came on here to see what people could cook up with nothing more than a film, a few books and an imagination. And apparently, you did it so you could review and tell people how much you "don't agree" with their creative writing, as much as you think it's "extraordinary".

Why don't you look up every book or movie that's fucked with the Bible's "facts" and write them all reviews like this? I guarantee you'll get a big fat "fuck you" from every single one. Maybe even a few 'HAHAHA's. I mean, really, do I even need to MENTION movies like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Meaning of Life, Life of Brian, Michael or DOGMA? How about TV Shows like Supernatural, Buffy or even Firefly?

If you wanna get into a discussion about religion, go to a Christian or Catholic thread and rip my shit apart there. This is a place for WRITERS, not a Sunday mass. And what you posted was NOT constructive criticism. It was an insult and a half, thinking that the creative writing and imagination of a simpleton was not just a falsified fairy-tale, but a true attempt to "distort" somebody's personal belief. Fuck you, my friend. Fuck. You.

If this intricately spun work of fiction HONESTLY felt like a personal attack, I strongly suggest you stop reading, because it's GOING to get worse if you can't step out of the "personal belief" aspect and step into the "make-belief" aspect.

I'm clearing the air right here, right now, so that my "distortion of divine creatures" won't get me into any MORE trouble:

I'm NOT telling people to believe anything, I'm NOT here to preach about my own beliefs. I'm just writing what I believe to be an interesting work of FICTION. Right off the top of my tiny, uneducated, distorted little mind.

I'm writing this fanfiction so readers can think, "wow, what an interesting love story" not "BLASPHEMY".

And so far, people are liking it. Including you.

Have a nice day,

Censorship is a Cancer.


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